With or Without You
by DeluluandOroro Platoon
Summary: Lucy and Alfendi have been brought onto a series of murders, with no signs of who the criminal is. The two struggle as Alfendi deals with his split personality and his emotions, and Lucy is dragged into the heart of the murders. Will Lucy and Alfendi grow closer than ever, or will these deaths drive the two apart? (In Progress, R&R, T for language and mild violence)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

The city of London was hustling and bustling about. It was the first time in weeks that the sun decided to pay them a visit, and everyone was outside attempting to make the most of it. Every window was open in order to let in the warm breeze that was now flowing through the busy streets. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be outside, and that was the exact reason why Lucy Baker decided to take her time walking to work that day. Her well worn rusty orange hat was bouncing as she walked, her bright amber eyes looking at how the city seemed to become vibrant under the sun. Stretching her long, slim arms upwards, she tried to make the most of her walk before heading up to the currently dark and musty Mystery Room. It felt as though the sun had not come out in ages to her, and instead of being able to bask in it, she had to be stuck inside alone. Not particularly what she wanted at the moment, but the job comes first.

The Scotland Yard Building was huge, about six stories tall, with the top floor in the roof. On the outside, the first few levels were made of dull, grey bricks, with the rest of the building being made of bright and dark red brick. The doors, which Lucy had been opening, were made of a sturdy wood and painted an unwelcoming black. When she passed through the front lobby, there was the smallest of drop in volume. It was always the case, and Lucy never missed when it happened, almost like they were secretly judging her for some reason. Today, however, that small drop felt as though someone muted the sound from her ears. Thus her morning ritual started. The first thing after passing through the doors, she headed straight to the mailbox to see if her department received anything via mail, greeting everyone she passed. After checking, she would head to the staircase, walk up all the flights of stairs until she reached the top floor, and enter the second door on her left. And so, while checking the mailbox only in order to see that there was nothing in it whatsoever, she heard her name being called by a familiar voice.

"Lucy! Come over _-ACHOO-_ here for a second." A young, sickly woman beckoned to her with a raspy, low toned voice from across the front lobby. Her long, jet black hair seemed almost as long as the hunched over body, and just by looking at the eyes Lucy could tell the forensic scientist pulled yet another all-nighter. "Florence! 'Ello, 'aven't seen you in a while. What's up?" The genuine enthusiasm and upbeat cockney accent brought up Florence's face from the usual gloomy expression to a less gloomy expression. Lucy always was under a personal belief that this "less gloomy expression" was the closest to a smile she would see on the forensic's face. "I just wanted to see how you were holding up after…after that last case. I see you're the only one in today?"

Even though her friend's question was an innocent and caring one, Lucy still hesitated a few moments before answering, "Well I'm doing alright now, it was only a graze. I got a couple o' days to heal up and all that 'fore comin' back."

"That's good to hear. And Al's doing better?" This comment stung, replaying the events of three days ago back through Lucy's mind. She shook it out of her head as fast as possible, "Yeah, he'll be fine. The Prof's just sustained more injuries then I did." Her tone was outlandishly bittersweet, and Florence noticed that there would be no more conversation about that particular topic. After an awkward silence fell over the two, the Detective Constable excused herself, making her way for the staircase and ascending as swiftly as possible.

The Mystery Room was just as she expected; it seemed dark, musty and lifeless, even after only a handful of days with no use. With a simple switch of the lights, the room was illuminated. Papers were strewed throughout the room, with case files stacked in odd nooks and crannies. The wooden filing cabinets lined the walls, also crammed filled with case files and important documents, and a dark blue bulletin board with magazine clippings attached to it. And in the corner was Lucy's favorite place in the room; the brown sofa. It was where she always plopped herself when she entered the Mystery Room after greeting the Prof with a huge grin. She absolutely loved that couch. It made her feel safe and at home for some unknown reason. Lucy made her way over to the window that was next to where the couch was.

Even though it was her job to be solving some unknown case, the amber eyed girl could not help but propping open the window and losing herself in thought. She knew she should have been getting started on any cases that had been sent their way from the past two days of absents, but working on a case without the Prof just seemed strange. '_It's my job though, with or without the Prof here.' _She reminded herself, slowly standing from the couch to go look through one of the recent case files. The case was not too puzzling, and after using the crime reconstruction machine she easily determined that the killer she was looking for was the husband of the deceased wife, who had attempted to frame the wife's brother of the murder. It had only taken a handful of hours, and the decision was made that she might as well take a small break before cracking open another case.

She sat near the window, letting the breeze gently play with her hair. The fresh air felt amazing on her hot face, and she removed her hat in order to let the warmth that had built up there be released. The sounds from the street came in, helping guide Lucy to be lost in thought. It wasn't difficult either; there had been a ton of things on her mind as of late, but none quite as pressing as the events of three days ago. The graze that the bullet had made was still present on her right arm, but it was healing nicely. '_Eh, it's still nothin' compared to the Prof's injuries',_ was the immediate thought that came to mind. It was true, the Prof's wounds were nothing serious, but there was a lot more of them than just one bullet-grazed arm. He just needed more recovery time, that was all. However, these thoughts only made her worry over the Prof's health.

The Prof was never good at taking care of himself. He would always be at work, day or shine, completely healthy or so sick that he would sway where he stood. Then if you counted all he times he came in ridiculously early and then stayed long after everyone had left, it was surprising that the Prof hadn't keeled over. But somehow, that brilliant man kept going on with his work. This was the first time he had ever been absent from work, and for a good thing too. She flinched at the memory of what had occurred.

* * *

_It was pitch black outside, and the only thing any onlooker would have been able to see were two bright beams of light moving swiftly through the darkness. The petite figure was breathing heavily, attempting to regain her breath after finally catching up to the taller, lanky man. The smaller figure had no time to regain oxygen as she was grabbed by the arm and dragged into the factory where they had journeyed in order to find the criminal that had fled. Earlier that day, the duo had discovered who the killer was in their latest case, __Luciano Agonni, the oldest son of Severino Agonni. After the murder of Severino, Luciano earned the title as boss of the local mafia. However, he began to suspect that a handful of members were stealing from the mafia, and shot all of them on the spot. It was dangerous and rash to even consider going after the man. _

_But instead of having the 'placid Prof' at the time, who would have downright refused to go after a murderer and would have wanted backup, she was quickly dashing after the 'potty Prof', who was actually quite a fan of the chase and felt the need to be on the scene. So there they were running head first into what could easily be a trap, with no plan and no backup. The two were only equipped with three items; a flashlight, handcuffs, and a police issued gun. They only very quickly decided not to use the guns unless it was absolutely necessary before entering the even darker building. Her instincts screamed against every step she took, but she had to ignore it. Darkness molded around her, an eerie feeling slowly creeping up her spine. There was an unexplainable cold that was stabbing at her in the air that made her edge closer to the Prof purely out of fear that something was lurking outside of their little bubble of light._

_He halted to a stop, causing Lucy to bump into his back. He raised an eyebrow at her as if to say "Please watch where you are going", as one spidery hand grasped his stubbly chin in thought. The pause seemed to go on forever when, "I will continue to follow the path I believe the man went down. However, it is possible that he took this left turn here. We can find him easier if we split up. Plus the sooner we find him, the quicker we can head back to the station." Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at the Prof's comment. One side of him was surprisingly eager to go to a crime scene, while the other would much prefer to stay indoors and never leave. After receiving a puzzled look from the Prof, she flashed a determined grin and headed off in the opposite direction. _

_There was no noise besides her footsteps echoing off of the metal walls as she walked down the seemingly endless corridor. Darkness seemed to creep into every available space, to the point where even the yellow light could not cut through it. A soft, ghostly breeze came from behind, causing the chestnut brown hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. She turned around, heart beating faster than ever. _

_A pent up sigh of relief escaped from her mouth. It had been nothing but a draft moving throughout the hall. Swallowing down every ounce of nerves, she turned back around, quickening her pace in the correct direction. After what felt like ages, the flashlight started to form a shape. She groaned. The corridor formed into a four-way intersection, with no signs of where she should turn next. 'By'eck, this place is like a maze_',_ she thought to herself_ _as she inspected each hall. Two of them appeared to continue on in the same manner as the corridor she came down. The hallway to her right, as far as she could tell with her flashlight, led to some open boxing room. Taking a leap of faith, Lucy turned to her right, shining the light down the hall as she went forward. _

_Thud! Bam! Clank! She flinched and almost toppled over. Those noises were defiantly not just in her mind, and she quickened the pace, switching the flashlight off in order to not give away her location. It sounded like there was a scuffle, which meant that the Prof had found someone. But something wasn't right, it didn't feel right. Lucy entered the large space quietly and swiftly, staying in the shadows. _

'_The Prof would 'ave called out for me by now…'_

_Creeping closer to where the scuffle had originated from, she was able to spot an illuminated area. One of the figures was lying on the ground with their arms cuffed behind their back, and the other was standing next to the lying down figure. This person, she observed, was holding the flashlight. However she also noticed another thing about this scene. The light was glistening on an object in the standing man's right hand. _

_A gun. That only added to the idea of what had taken place here a few moments earlier. She was one hundred percent positive that the man on the ground was Alfendi, which meant she had to be cautious approaching this situation. There had to be a way of distracting the mafia leader without getting a bullet to the chest, even though the rash side of her wanted to jump the man and get it over with quickly. It was too much of a risk though, and a risk clearly not worth taking. She squinted into the darkness, searching for anything that may come to her aide. Her flashlight and gun were out of the question; it would be a rookie mistake and would definitely get both herself and the Prof killed. If there was an item nearby that could be used as a distraction… A dead cold object came into her grasp. It was dense enough to throw a good distance as well, that much she was certain._

_And without thinking, she threw it as far as she could in the opposite direction. The sound of the tin clattering on the ground and the gunshot after it was deafening. However it was the quiet, deranged laugh that came after shook Lucy to the core with an icy chill._

"_Nervous, are we? I can't see why; this place must be filled with your puppets," It was hoarse and filled with venom, "Or was fleeing so damn important that you didn't have time to call them?" The disturbing part was that the voice sounded twistedly playful, almost as though the roles of captive and capturer were reversed. A dull thump could be heard, and Alfendi let out a groan of pain, curling around his midsection. "Shut yer yap. Playing cocky ain't gonna help you, or your little friend-" Another clanging sound echoed from a nearby area, and Luciano Agonni fired the gun for a second time._

"_Come on out girly, or I'll have to shoot yer friend here," he shouted to the area where the noise originated from, then crouched down to Alfendi, gun aimed at his head, "Hehe, and when she does come out, I'll make sure you can see her die."_

"_If you lay even one fucking finger on her, I will blow your brains out onto the floor." He could feel his rage building; the white-hot anger was almost blinding. And if this man killed Lucy, he would make sure that Luciano would feel like he was in a living hell. 'Come on Lucy, don't try to be a damn hero…' It wasn't the sound of walking, but it was most definitely the sound of a shoe. And then a second shoe sounded. Oddly enough, he noticed, they did not seem to come from the same direction. It was then he understood what his co-worker was doing. 'Interesting idea. Distraction by sound. That way he'll be focused on the wrong area…'_

_She had to be fast; it was the only opportunity she was going to get. Swiftly and silently she moved, with the handcuffs set in order to place them on Luciano as fast as possible. She crept up on the two in her socks, approaching them in mere seconds. Snagging the wrists unexpectedly easy due to the surprise attack, she was able to close the handcuffs. Click BANG! The sound of the fired shot rang through the darkness, followed by the sound of the dropping gun._

_Time was frozen. There was no intake or exhale of breath as her body registered what had just happened. The shot fired from the gun had hit her. Her mind could not seem to understand this fact, nor did it seem capable of locating where she had been hit. _

_A voice, although she couldn't reason on who it was, seemed to restart her mind. Lucy choked in a lung full of air, her mind being brought up to speed. A stinging sensation struck on her left arm, and a gasp of pain came out of her mouth, the right hand automatically grasping the wound. The voice changed from random sounds to words, "Answer me! Lucy, are you alright? Please say something!" It was coming in clearer now. "Pr-Prof?" Lucy stammered, standing up slowly and making her way to the bloody figure on the ground. She grabbed the cuff keys from his pocket and unlocked the handcuffs. The Prof rolled onto his back, attempted to stand, and then collapsed onto the floor. "Don't get up, you're really injured." Lucy could only see it now, but he was covered in large cuts and bruises. One side of his head was bleeding heavily, staining the side that the Prof was lying on. The delicate small hand reached out to touch the injury, causing a hiss to protrude from the older man._

"_Lucy-" _

"_Shh, I'm goin' to call for backup and an ambulance." _

"_Lucy you-"_

"_Please Prof, I've got this under control." His honey-shaded eyes watched as she moved away in order to find service for her mobile. The loss of blood was slowly getting to his head, and his surroundings slowly started to blur. Everything went to darkness._

* * *

Alfendi was bored out of his mind. No cases, no murders, nothing to keep him distracted from the fact that he had not been to the Mystery Room in two days, and that Lucy would send him back home immediately if he tried to go back to work. He was greatful that his co-worker cared about his well-being, but she had nothing to worry about. The calm, passive side of him wouldn't want to leave the office, and after that last case, his real self would be careful about the cases as well. When that gun went off, he thought…

His stomach churned at what he thought had happened. '_You almost got her killed.'_ He clutched his head, swearing out loud as that annoying placid side of him spoke. "Don't you think I know that?!"

'_I don't think you did. You are too obsessed with criminals to notice that she is even on your side.'_

He hated that voice. He loathed it. It looked at the world in a way that he could never begin to understand. People looked at him differently when his placid side was out. Lucy looked at him differently when his placid side was out. And that was the worst part. That split moment of fear when his true self appeared. How her eyes would quickly dart away when the two of them made eye contact. How he would scare her with what he would say.

The fact that through all of this, she would still treat him with the same amount of kindness as she did his other half. And whenever she flinched or became scared, he could feel his chest physically hurt. It was the most confusing thing he had ever encountered. It had never happened before, but whatever it was, Lucy was behind it.

"Ugh, too much thinking…I need a cigarette." Alfendi went to his coat pocket, took out the pack, and walked back to the open window. The lighter sparked up, turning the end of the cigarette to a bright ember. He took a deep breath in, the heavy taste of cloves filling his mouth. It calmed him like nothing else, and his exhale released a long string of smoke.

'_I thought we were trying to stop.'_

"I'm not stopping anytime soon."

'_You're bored. Trust me, I know. Go see if there are any cases!'_

He didn't respond to his other personality as he finished his cigarette, stood up, grabbed his jacket, and practically ran to his office.

* * *

"I know who you are."

A tall, gorgeous walked from out of the shadows, approaching the man in the abandoned alleyway. She had documents in her hand, and when the man walked forward, she held her ground. He gave a chuckle, "And for some reason you thought it was smart to tell me?"

"No, it wasn't smart. I've taken more dangerous risks though. I want to strike a deal." Her voice was steady. It was clear to the man that she was being honest; she had taken dangerous risks. However, she was wrong in thinking this was less dangerous.

"How about I make a deal with you. You keep quiet, and I don't kill you."

"You know I won't keep quiet. You've killed three four times before, and I am not letting you kill again." The man laughed again, pulling something from his bag. The woman backed up a step, but it was enough movement to cause the man to attack. There was a terrible choking sound and then-

Silence.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: First off, thank you SO much for all of the responses! It really means a lot to me and is motivating me to type quicker! Second, I am a slow and not a particularly strong writer. I am also busy working in a theater all day long XP I shall do my best job on the story though!~

Chapter 2:

The sky outside was dimming, creating an orange hue to seep in through the windows. The room was quiet, except for the soft rustling of paper as a breeze entered and the sound of light breathing. It was peaceful, one thing that the Mystery Room never seemed to have enough of. An unsolved case file had fallen onto the floor, the pieces slightly scattered near the couch. The small, wooden clock placed on the desk chimed six times, rousing the sleeping figure on the couch. A hand came up from under the olive-green jacket to swat at a mosquito groggily. She had drifted off sometime while looking at her third case file of the day, aided by the warm sunlight and the relaxing breeze. This peace would only last for a few more moments, unfortunately.

The door flung wide open, reviling the tall, maroon haired man. Lucy toppled out of the well-worn couch and onto the case file that inhabited the floor, automatically waking up and sitting in order to see who had entered. She let out a ever so frustrated sigh. It did not surprise her to see that it was the Prof whatsoever, and it did not even shock her when she realized it was the "potty Prof". There was only one reason why he had come in at such a time, and that reason was nicely stack up on the desk. With one swift motion, he made his way to the desk, picked up an unsolved case file, and plopped down in his chair. Lucy got up off the floor, hands on her hips.

"Prof, you should be restin'! Not 'ere usin' up your energy!" There it was again, that ridiculous cockney voice filled with concern. Not that it mattered to him at the moment. The first file in the stack was picked up and being thumbed through already, the suspects' pictures lined up on the desk. "You foolish girl, do you really think sitting around my flat like an idiot will do me any good?" He didn't even bother to look up, mind already giving its full attention to his work.

She cautiously walked behind where the Prof was sitting, glancing over his shoulder at the case. Something smelled weird. She sniffed the air around her, realizing what it was. "Were you, uh, smokin' again? I thought you were tryin' to quit." To Lucy, his response was very peculiar, "_I'm _not trying to quit." This was not the first time he emphasized which personality he was referring to. This particular topic seemed to be something that the two disagreed on. In fact, she noticed that the two personalities rarely seemed to get along. The arguing personalities did seem to be a good sign that he was recovering, at the very least. "If you are staying, then don't be standing over my shoulder."

Lucy backed up, giving 'potty Prof' some space. "And while you're being useless, grab the blue case file on the top self." The top shelf was far out of her reach, seeing as she was relatively small, and the bookshelf he was referring to touched the ceiling. The footstool seemed to be missing from its normal spot of holding unsolved cases as well. _'Damn it. Dustin must 'ave taken our stool again…' _ Nothing else in the room would serve as a suitable stool, but the last thing she wanted was to keep the crazy case deprived inspector waiting for one folder. So instead she stacked a couple of boxes next to the bookshelf and clambered up them, successfully grabbing hold of the blue case file. And, with the grace of a drunken platypus, fell right off the boxes and onto the floor with a loud thud.

"What the-" Alfendi was so absorbed into his work to even realize what had occurred moments prior. She was lying flat on her back, the content of the boxes spilled around her, and one fully in-contact blue file resting on her stomach. "Err, 'ere's the folder you asked for." She said, giving a breathy chuckle. He got up quickly, going to her side to help her up. With two surprisingly strong arms he picked her up and plopped her onto her feet. Unfortunately, in doing so, he had grabbed where her gunshot wound was, causing her to let out a yelp of pain. The honey-yellow eyes grew wide when he realized what had happened, even if it was an accident, breaking any hardness that was in his eyes previously. "Are you alright?" The voice had changed, it was timid and worrisome. There was no more sharp anger or hunger in his eyes, the hair was neater, his facial expressions calmer. Lucy stumbled to the couch with the Prof's help, answering "I'm fine, just took a tumble."

"How's your arm?"

"It's fine." He did not believe her for one moment that she was telling the truth, and the way her right hand was rubbing the wound on her left was proof enough to make him continue his questioning. "Are you sure? You didn't seem it for a moment."

"I said it were fine. Don't fret over a silly injury."

"That is not a 'silly injury'. Do you understand how lucky you are? You actually could have _died_." The rise in his voice was so fast and angry, she almost toppled over again. The words hit her right in the chest, a painful twinge of realization that what she did could have gotten both of them killed. It just never really sunk in until the Prof began yelling about it. "You made me worry sick when the gun went off! You weren't moving and didn't respond at all for a good twenty seconds. Please, _never_ pull a stunt like that again." Something felt off. The Prof, placid or potty, never discussed things like this. But the way he said it…she swore that it sounded like his two sides were sharing that one voice as he lectured her. That or his 'potty' side actually did show concern about others. Lucy wasn't sure what to think about it, but she could feel the guilt settling into her.

"I'm sorry."

Two simple words, that was all it took. The Prof fell quiet, a dumbfound look on his face. _'Well done. You injure her, lecture her, and SHE'S the one apologizing.' _He mentally growled at his other half, calming down best he could and allowing 'placid Prof' to talk. His real self knew full well that his 'potty' side would probably make her upset. "Lucy, you don't need to be sorry. While what you did was reckless, you apprehended our suspect and saved me." For him, this discussion was over and done with. It was 'potty Prof's' mistake that they hunted the man down in the first place, and it was 'placid Prof's' fault that he was taken down so easily. He placed her in harm's way, and that was what bothered the 'placid Prof' the most.

"Now," he took a breath in, looking straight at her, "you have had a long day, and it's best if you go home and rest up for tomorrow's cases." There was a pause, almost as though she did not want to leave the office yet. The calmer of the two Alfendi's helped Lucy pack her things, escorting her to the door. "Be safe on your way home," he said, the softest of smiles forming on his face. She returned the smile, nodding at his simple request, and left for her tiny flat.

He watched as she made her way down the hallway, closing the door when she was finally out of sight. Every instinct fought his desire to run over and bang his head multiple times on the desk. His real self felt so annoyed about everything that had came from his mouth. " 'Never pull a stunt like that again'? '_You made me worry sick_'?! Where the _hell_ did that come from!" He had no clue where any of it came from. He couldn't even blame his other half; the real self was fully in control when that was being said.

'_Calm down! She understands that both of us are upset. Lucy would be the same way if the roles were reversed.'_

"Shut the hell up!" He roared, trying to drown out that stupid voice. It would never work, no matter how many times he tried. That other half of him was always present, whispering words that no one else would ever hear. His focus drew to the large stack of case files and the file that he was already looking at. Yes, that was what excited him; the murderers, and how they killed their victims. He lived for that, somehow feeding off of the murders and how they were done. And being away from it gave him a hunger like nothing else.

He was so far indulged in his work to even realize that he had already solved about a third of the huge stack of cases. The clock chimed eleven, snapping him out of this working trance. When did it get so dark outside? There was no memory of the last five hours he had been sitting in the office, besides working through cases. When he was that wrapped up in his work, almost nothing could break his attention. The mobile on the desk was flashing, signaling that someone had tried to get in contact within the last five hours. It was only one missed call from Hilda about God-knows-what.

'_Now what does that blonde want?' _There was no message left for him to listen to, so he decided begrudgingly to call back. The phone rang a number of times before it was answered, "Hello,Hilda Pertinax speaking."

"You called?" He kept his voice bland and toneless. "Alfendi! Good, you called back. I think my team is going to need your help on a case."

"Ha, of course you do. With your pathetic minds, it's a wonder why you didn't quit ages ago."

"Layton, there's another body. This time, the woman was found in a dumpster." That was all it took to catch the inspector's attention, his mind already buzzing with excitement. "And there was evidence to show that the body followed the same pattern as the others? From what I have heard, they were all strangle victims." She responded slowly, as though her job depended on saying as little as possible. "Yes. It follows the same patter."

Unfortunately, the Inspector knew of the catch, "Look, if you can get me assigned to the case, I will help. You know I'm not….allowed to assist in these types of cases otherwise."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, indicating that she was weighing her chances. "Well, what if I can get the Commissioner to put you on the case-"

"Perfect, don't call back until you have a response."

"But Alfe-" The phone gave a tiny beep, announcing that the call was over. He didn't care, the only reason he called back was if she had something of interest. And this case, oh it was of magnificent interest to him. Five dead within a month period, all with the same cause of death. A case like this excited him, and he had finally gotten the opportunity to slip his foot in the door. The Commissioner, as far as anyone could tell, would have been nervous about placing Alfendi on a case like this early on, but know with a fifth death… He was only able to hear about the case through others that were working on it. Not a single picture or document had been allowed to leave the growing file, and it was kept under lock and key.

Stretching his long arms above his head, he continued to work on the case files in front of him. And slowly drowsiness took hold of him, his head bobbing up and down before, at long last, it rested on the desk.

* * *

It was a sight the Detective Constable had seen many a time. Lights still fully on from the night before, a face peacefully resting with messy maroon hair sticking in every direction, a stack of finished cases lying around on the desk. It struck her as adorable, the way the Prof cared for his work. Although she had never seen so many finished cases done in one night. _'I'm not sure it's 'umanly possible to 'ave done that much work… he must 'ave gon overboard, wot with missin' the past few days.' _So with that thought, she quietly moved around the room, trying her best not to wake the sleeping Prof. Snagging a case file from the desk, Lucy promptly sat on the couch and glanced over the case. It was not an interesting case, to say the least, and she soon grew bored and wished the Prof would wake up. The only thing that would get her to wake up at that time would be a questioning session, and that was in part due to 'potty Prof'. People would think her weird, but she could honestly say she enjoyed the company of the real Prof. He was certainly one of a kind. Even if he _did_ threaten to cut out her tongue or chop off her arms. Or drown her in the River Thames.

She did have to question if he had followed through on his threats, but she would prefer not to find out. And even if he wasn't actually going to cut out her tongue or chop off her arms, the horrifying, murderous rumble in his voice sure as hell convinced her otherwise. She looked over from the couch, taking note that he was still sound asleep. It was funny, really. Two completely different personalities, yet neither seemed like they showed on his face while sleeping. It was a nice change of pace. There were cases to solve though, cases that Lucy needed him for. From having learned her lesson the first few times, she immediately left the room to make a cup of the darkest coffee possible. After that, she would shake him awake with the deck in between them as a buffer. He would wake up, although the call on _who_ woke up was heads or tails. Then she would hand him the coffee before he a) tried to go back to sleep, or b) grumbled murderous things while giving Lucy a death look. She had grown used to both results, and she found both amusing in their own little way.

"Wakey wakey eggs an' bakey!" He grumbled, trying to swat away the sound with a hand, "Come on, I made you a cuppa." The bright, bubbliness practically radiated off of her, causing the Prof to open one eye just enough to grab the hot cup. The coffee was gone with one tip of the cup, easing away the tiredness.

"So, eh, 'ow late did you stay up workin'? From the looks of it, you did most of the cases." He grumbled something incomprehensible, his movements swaying back and forth as he stood from his chair and left the room for another cup of coffee. There was an immediate scurry around the desk, checking the solved cases. Out of the twenty or so that had been stacked up and assigned to them, fourteen had been solved. That many cases in one night, it was difficult to process the idea. She knew he was intelligent beyond anyone she had ever met, but this was ridiculous. _'I sus being away from murders even for two days were too much. He's way smarter than I ever thought.'_

The door slowly opened as the swaying Prof walked back in with another cup in his hand. "If you couldn't tell already, we have a good amount of people to call in for questioning." The voice took her by surprise as she shuffled through the documents. The two had to be ready for the day, so as Lucy organized the documents and evidence that was needed, the Prof downed another two cups. With a quick sweep of the office to make sure they had everything, the duo left the office and made their way down the hall. Three flights of stairs, a handful of phone calls, and case files stacked neatly was all it took to begin the day in the interrogation room.

One by one, the two questioned suspects with ease, earning cries of their confessions. Pieces of evidence backed the criminals into a corner, making it inescapable with anything they said. Things never went this smoothly, but that day, the two were unstoppable. The speed at which they went was practically insane, yet every time Lucy and Alfendi would hit the target perfectly. The three hours they were in the interrogation flew by without either of them noticing. By then, they only had a couple of suspects left to call in and question, which was when Alfendi's phone decided to ring. Lucy made a dash to the table where it was, checking to see the caller while the Prof organized evidence for the next suspect on the list. "Oy, Prof? It's Hilda-"

All of a sudden, the sharp-eyed, disheveled haired Prof leapt to the phone, answering it with haste. "What was the response?" He paused, listening intensely to whatever the investigator was saying. His facial expressions rose a little, "Ah…I see. Keep me posted." The mobile was shoved into the already newspaper crammed pockets of his long white jacket as Lucy's curiosity got the best of her. "Wot were that about?" A huge, bright grin grew on his face, and he grabbed Lucy's non-injured arm and dragged her behind as he raced to their office, slamming the door shut behind them.

By this point, Alfendi calmed down just a tad, energy still buzzing through him. "Lucy Baker, have you heard about the recent killings? Five dead, all the same way, no suspects whatsoever."

She thought back on the past few weeks and shook her head that, no, she had heard nothing of the killings. "Well, Hilda called the other night saying that the case could use our help, and that she would talk to the Commissioner about putting us on the case. That phone call was her saying that, although we are not officially on the case at the moment, we will be if the murderer strikes again."

"Really?! That's fantastic!" _'Well, besides the fact someone else 'as to die for us to be assigned…' _Even with that last morbid thought, her face had a big smile plastered onto in as she suddenly busted out laughing with realization of what just happened, "Well well potty Prof! You do 'ave a 'appy side to you after all, even if it is about murderers." Even he was shocked by this fact; he _was_ enjoying the fact he could truly be back in the game, but that reaction he had? Clearly the placid side had softened him up. "Baker, if you tell _anyone_ about what just happened, I will sew your mouth closed." The voice dropped back to its menacing tone, although it had no effect on Lucy. She continued to smile, leaning towards the Prof to playfully whisper, "Don't worry Prof, your secret's safe with me."

The only response she earned was a glare from the hardened eyes. It was terrible, but she could only continue laughing. He rolled his eyes, wondering why she was _still_ laughing, but seeing her like this made him calm down. That was the most wonderful thing about his assistant; no matter what, her smile always raised his spirits. _'You have no idea why you seem happier around her, do you?'_ the placid Prof chimed in his ear. The real Alfendi ignored the comment, not understanding what his other half was talking about. Instead, he picked up his things and walked through the door back to the interrogation room, with Lucy following close behind.

After the phone call, the day felt like it was never going to end. The last interrogation took an entire hour due to the suspect dodging questions and acting like a complete idiot. Then they had a case that stumped the both of them, mostly because somehow the victim had two overlapping causes of death, and the main suspect had an alibi that didn't seem to fit. After the two worked on the case for a good number of hours, they both decided to leave it for the next day. By eight, the Prof was nodding off, and Lucy remembered that he had worked all of the night before, not getting proper rest. She didn't want him to crash at the office again, and calling a cab was out of the question. He would most likely fall asleep while being driven home and once he was sleeping it was difficult to wake him up. Besides, she had no clue what his address was, and once he reached this point of tiredness his answers were the ramblings of a mad man. There was one option she could take…

She went over to the inspector, shaking him out of his daze and lifting him up. "Come on, you're coming 'ome with me." Hoisting him up and dangling one long, thin arm around her shoulder, Lucy helped Alfendi out of the office and down the hall to the elevator. There was no way they were taking the stairs; the man's weight placed her off balance, and sending a mostly sleeping person to walk down ten flights of stairs would be suicide. They took the elevator to the ground floor, and the two stumbled across the lobby. "'ow many times do I 'ave to tell you that you gotta take better care of yourself, eh?" It took a few seconds to get a response, which at that point was mostly gibberish. Lucy readjusted their walking position as they left the station and made their best attempt to walk down the street. Luckily, her flat was only a few blocks away from the station.

By the time the duo reached the front door of the building, Lucy was exhausted. She clambered up three flights of stairs, hoisting the Prof's body up each one with little help. _'Just…a little bit more…'_ The door was pushed open, and the Prof kept muttering nonsense as Lucy stifled a chuckle. He was clearly fighting to stay awake; however he had no energy to do so, causing him to slur random words together. The lights were all off, but it did not matter because Lucy had the flat memorized by heart. _'The couch is gonna be too small for 'im.' _She thought, guiding him to her bed.

She dropped him on the bed, throwing his leg up and rolling him to the middle. He curled up, already sound asleep. The corners of his mouth curled upwards slightly, his chest going up and down slowly. Lucy slowly tip-toed out of the room in order not to wake him up, scooping up a pair of pajamas and a blanket so she could sleep comfortably on the couch. It was a relatively soft couch, and she would be able to fit on it. The mobile in her pants pocket vibrated. _'Probably Florence, wondering I'm still in the Mystery Room.' _Checking through her texts, she discovered that it was not Florence, but a restricted number. Thinking that it was sent accidentally, she opened the text message in order to be polite and say that they got the number wrong.

_I made you a present. Hope you like it._

Taking a seat on the couch, she texted back: _Sorry, I think you have a wrong number._

Almost the second she sent it, her phone vibrated again, reading: _No Lucy. I have the right number._ Her heart beat grew rapid, a twinge of fear growing in the pit of her stomach.

_Who is this? _There was no pause on her end, sending it as soon as it was typed.

The second the phone vibrated, she flipped it open to see what was sent.

_You can get your present tomorrow. 17 Willbrow Ave. Good night Lucy._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Terribly sorry about the wait, it was tech week and my birthday this week.

_****_Chapter 3:

Lucy swore that her heart stopped, her stomach plummeting to her feet. A present located at some random location? The normal sensation of curiosity started to question what the texts could possibly mean, but there was this nagging feeling that something was very, very wrong. If it was a person that knew her, they would have told her their name, right? _'Or do they know me? They said my name…' _That was what, out of everything, scared her most. There was no possible way that listening to this stranger would have any positive outcome. Fear overtook her as she hurriedly searched around the flat, every dark nook and cranny she could possibly think of, mortified that there was someone else present.

There was nothing out of the ordinary, even after being as thorough as humanly possible. Every book and trinket was in the spot where they had been from that very morning. No signs of forced entry or other messages left lying around on paper. She had even gone as far as to see if the Prof had pretended to be sleeping and was playing a cruel joke on her. After poking his side a few times and watching him curl up into a protective ball, she crossed him off the list of possible suspects. Not even noticing what she was doing, the cell phone was back in her hand and sending another text.

_I demand to know who this is._

Every second felt like an hour as Lucy waited for her mobile to vibrate with a response. A good ten minutes passed, and still the phone had not gone off. _'Well…the person's last text back _did_ say good night…'_ reasoning felt like the only answer at the moment. The sight of her mobile made her insides tighten and knot together. There was no way she would even consider having it near her at the moment.

With the mobile in her hand, she moved into her tiny kitchen, placing the phone as far away as possible as though it was a rabid animal. All her mind could do was question _why_ she had sent out another text. The situation felt like it was right out of a horror movie, and as she nervously walked back to the couch, she didn't even bother turning off the lights. Turning off the light just seemed like a terrible idea at the moment. So instead she turned on the television, switching it to the BBC. The cool, blue glow that came off her TV helped her calm down. Every once in a while, her body would slump forward, dozing off. And every time she would force herself to stay awake out of fear someone was about to break into her house and kidnap her. Sleep continued to creep up on her, until it finally succeeded as her body lay on the couch fast asleep.

She was awake a few hours later, still exhausted from the day she had gone through. Groggily, the petite woman sat up, stretching out her entire body after having slept on the couch. The thought _'What I would give to still be sleepin',' _crossed her mind as she tried curling back up into a warm ball.A rustling sound coming from the bedroom, causing her to freeze in place, her breath hitched. The breath came out in ease after remembering that she had brought the Prof home with her the night before. _'Those messages musta scared me good if I forgot 'bout the Prof.'_ Her body relaxed at the thought, and her stomach began to make noises, causing her to head to the kitchen for food and tea.

The amber-red eyes made contact with the mobile that had been lying there all night. There was hesitation before picking it up, and when it was back in her possession she reread the texts, questioning if her text was ever responded to, or if the conversation was just a part of her imagination. _'Nope, still there…' _The miniscule amount of hope that it was all in her head was lost. Even as simple letters and words, there was a distinct tone of malice that put her on edge. But her naturally curious mind was dying to go to the address in order to know what the messages meant. She would have time later, surely. Her train of thought was cut off by the sounds of footsteps coming from her room.

And there he was, three day old clothes and terribly messy hair, walking out of her bedroom and taking in his surroundings. The flat was quite small, and relatively neat, besides the piles of boxes that lined the walls. Even so, it was quaint and cozy. Alfendi knew that he was at Lucy's flat, but he had been so tired that everything from the night before came as a blur to him. All there was in his memory was her lovely scent that had taken over his senses the moment she had helped him out of the office door. "Good morning," he said with a sleepy yawn. Lucy practically threw the mobile away from her onto the counter, attempting to make it look like nothing was wrong. The last thing she wanted was 'potty Prof' to be on her case so early in the morning.

"G'mornin' Prof! How'd you sleep?" The positive, chipper face she put on wasn't entirely enough to draw his attention away from how she had thrown her mobile, but he chose to ignore it for the time being.

"Very well, actually. Err, sorry about being so tired last night, but you could have left me at the office." The man took a seat at the counter, eyeing Lucy's activities. In fact, he had never seen her quite like this. The young woman, typically adorned with her old orange hat, tidy olive green police jacket and fitting tan pants, had been replaced with a tight grey tank top and baggy lime green plaid bottoms. 'Placid Prof' had to glance away to hide a slight blush as he noticed how the shirt gave away every inch of curve.

"No way I were gonna leave you at the office! You needed legit rest, you did." Alfendi gave a small laugh at his assistant. "Determined as ever, I see. Thank you for the kind gesture." This side of him was not one to argue, especially against a person who was treating him with kindness. That would be plain ridiculous. "And how did you sleep?"

The typically lively face instantly showed that, no, she had not slept well at all. He could simply tell from her posture and tired eyes that there had not been much sleep on her end. Even so, she went with the lie, "I slept well!" The moment the words left her lips, she could sense a mere shadow of 'potty Prof' hanging over the 'placid Prof' that was sitting in front of her. Clearly 'placid Prof' did as well, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in and out, quelling the rising sensation of his true half. "Lucy, please don't lie. You obviously didn't sleep well."

She eased a little at his comment, letting out a long yawn, "Honest Prof, it don't matter. I'll just need rest tonight is all." His face grew to a slight pout, "You should really worry less about my health and work better on your own. I don't want my assistant getting sick." The smooth, low voice was filled with concern about her well-being, causing a momentary shiver go down her spine. Forcing a cough, her eyes moved every which way so that she could avoid his face.

The silence after his comment and her reaction grew, and she knew she had to restart with a different topic. "So…is there anythin' you need?" His mind paused. It wasn't like he needed anything, except maybe clean clothes, and he doubted that she had anything his size. Besides the clothes, he was starting to feel unwashed after not having a shower the day before. Always one of the flaws with sleeping at the Mystery Room. He realized his eyes were faced at the ground as his mouth opened, slightly abashed at the request, "Well, umm, could I use your shower? I didn't really get one yest-"

Hands were practically pushing him to the bathroom as the voice, '_higher-pitched than usual'_, he noted, exclaimed, "O'course you can use t' shower! I'm sure you can figure where everythin' is!" She went for the door, shoved him inside, and closed it, just so he could not see the tomato red blush that had sprouted over her face. It wasn't like she meant to blush; she just was a tiny bit embarrassed she had an inkling of a crush on her mentor. It was simply due to the close proximity and amount of time they spent together, she kept trying to tell herself. And the last thing she needed was the image of him using her shower. Her feet carried her back to the kitchen, mind looking for a good distraction. The amber eyes latched its sights on a pan, and immediately she began cooking eggs. Nothing too difficult, nothing to fancy, and something to keep her mind occupied. The sound of the water reverberated throughout the apartment for a good couple of minutes before it was turned off.

He reached out of the shower and dried himself from head to toe with a towel, placing back on his favorite, albeit three day old, blue and red striped shirt and jeans. Even though getting back into dirty clothes wasn't the best feeling, the shower definitely helped. After being dry, one corner of the fluffy towel was used to clear the layer of steam that had formed on the mirror, being dropped to the floor after so the slippery puddles would not be a hazard later. The slow drip of water coming from his hair echoed as it landed on the white porcelain sink. With the real half showing up more consistently, especially around Lucy, time like this was well spent on being calm and collected. It was for both of their safety, really. The reflection, still clouded with steam from the warm water, captured the details of his face.

No one had any idea how difficult it was, having two personalities in the same body. It was mentally and emotionally strenuous, using precious energy that could be put to use solving an extra case. He was horrified to be a danger to anyone he cared about. Feeling the loss of control was the worst part. It was from having every bit of control over himself, to feeling this rising sensation from the pit of his stomach, rapidly threatening to overtake him, and there was no possible way to stop it. And when the switch happened, there was no more feeling, no more anything. Only the ability to see and hear and feel with no way to respond, forced into the prickly world of his true self with no way to stop his other half. He could only whisper at the back of the shared mind, where no one else could hear but the two of them.

It was a living hell.

" 'ey! Made some breakfast for t' both of us!" The call was loud enough that he broke from his train of thought. Alfendi glanced at the reflection once more before stepping out of the warm bathroom onto the cool wood floor of the flat. His long, pointy nose caught the smell of eggs before the kitchen was even in eyesight. When it was visible, he saw a plate of scrambled eggs placed at where he was previously seated. The hair elastic that had been in his hand since after the shower was being stretched out, tying back a small bunch of hair as he moved forward and sat down.

The fork carried the cooked eggs to his mouth. "These are really good. Who taught you to cook?"

"My uncle. Mum were always busy when I were a tot, so I spent a lot of time with my uncle and auntie. Auntie tried to teach me but…her cookin' is 'orrendous-" _Bzzt bzzt_ "Oh, that's my mobile!" She picked up the mobile, relief going over her when she saw it was a name she recognized.

" 'ello, wot's up?"

The sound of Hilda's voice had some static to it as the hum buzzed in and out, "Yes, hello Lucy. Neither you or Al were in your office, and Al's mobile went straight to voicemail. You need to get to the station as soon as you can."

"Why? Did somethin' 'appen?" Her response earned the attention of the Prof, who tilted his head sideways in a puzzled look. Lucy could hear a sigh from the other end, "Well, let's just say the both of you are on the Strangler case as of this moment. I'll wait for the both of you at the station, and the three of us can head out to the crime scene together. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds good to me! I'll get a message to Prof right away."

"Thank you, and please make it hear quickly." The beep of the phone sounded, and Lucy placed it back on the table, seeing the Prof's questioning face, "It were Hilda, saying we 'ave to get to the station. There's another murderer and…oh 'ell! I need a shower!" There was a quick dash to her room, where she took her detective constable clothing and ran to the bathroom. The Prof, meanwhile, shoveled the remainder of his breakfast into his open mouth and got ready to go. By the time he was ready, Lucy was out of the shower, hair dripping wet from under her hat as she ran to the door. The both of them ran out of the flat and onto the sidewalk, not stopping until they reached the station.

The two burst in through the front lobby, immediately spotting the tall blonde. Both were breathing heavily, attempting to get air into their lungs before saying anything. "We…we got 'ere….fast as we could…" Lucy's voice was raspy as it came out of the parched throat. Hilda gave the duo a glance over, a look of suspicion catching in her eye. The detective constable, however, noticed the expression. "Wot?" she asked, not sure why she earned this particular look from the more experienced inspector.

Hilda did not even attempt to cover the snide and suggestive tone, "Well well Al, I see you didn't change clothes since yesterday. Did you not go back to your flat last night?" "Placid Prof" gave Hilda a warning glare, angry that she would hint at such things, especially in front of the girl he fancied. Although he realized a second later that Hilda's remark had no effect whatsoever when Lucy's innocent voice piped up next to him, "The Prof were at my flat last night." Alfendi could feel the 'potty' side of him smirk inwardly as Hilda's smug expression was wiped off her face and replaced with her jaw dropping to the ground.

"Wh-what?!" was all that she could stammer as her eyes shifted back and forth between the pair.

Lucy continued talking, not a clue in the world of why Hilda seemed shocked at hearing this, "Um…the Prof slept at my flat. 'e were all tuckered out from workin', and 'e crashed at my place." The taller woman simply nodded her head and gestured for them to walk with her. Lucy looked up at Alfendi, her eyebrows furrowed, "Why were she confused about you over my place?" His hand went to his head and massaged his temples, not at all comfortable talking about such a scandalous topic.

"Let's drop the subject, yes? Besides, we have a case to be working on." The assistant took his response at face value, obviously still trying to decipher the meaning behind Hilda's shock. The three of them walked quietly and swiftly to one of the police cars, getting in with Hilda driving and Alfendi in the passenger seat, while Lucy was stuck sitting in the back. She ignored the conversation in the front row, looking out the window as blurs of buildings flew by, creating bland streak of oranges and greys. Everyone on the sidewalks simply blended into the blur of ever changing scenery. The car slowed down as it hit a corner, and out of the corner of her amber eye she read a street sign that was awfully familiar to her. A cold sickness came over her, numbing every part of her as she realized where she had seen it before. That one second lasted an hour, the image of the street sign left on repeat.

Her voice, shaky and much darker than she remembered it usually being, needed to ask the question. "Hilda, where did this murder 'appen?" Simply by the change in her tone, both inspectors knew something was off, that something did not feel…right. Hilda was the one to respond, "It happened at the woman's flat, sometime last night."

"Wot's the address?"

"Why, I can't particularly remember the number, but the street's name is Willbrow Avenue." Lucy did not even need to hear the name to understand what the text message from last night meant. It was all clear, yet at the same time was not. She did not say a single word as the car pulled up in front of the building. Hilda exited from the car, and Lucy was about to follow her lead, but was abruptly stopped by a hand taking hold of her arm. "What is wrong?" Such a simple question, and yet Lucy had no idea how to tackle it. Keeping a secret about how a serial killer contacted her in the middle of the night was not one of the brightest ideas, she knew that much. And telling the Prof would probably make her safer, along with probably getting kicked off the case out of "being too close" to the case. That was not something she wanted. This was the biggest case she had ever been a part of, and nothing would jeopardize it.

"I'll tell you later Prof." His honey-yellow eyes darkened, staring directly into her own, into her very soul. His vice-grip on her arm grew tighter, not allowing access out of the vehicle. He was not done with her, he wanted, _needed_, an answer. Neither of them budged, both holding their ground. And all Lucy did was glare right back into his eyes, right at the "potty Prof". She was not afraid of him, and it was clear he knew this. The ever-growing tension filled the car as the silent tug-of-war raged onward. Anyone else dealing with this amount of tension surely would have suffocated, but not Lucy or Alfendi. Unwavering force continued to fill the small area as neither would give in. A knocking came from outside the window, where Florence was waiting for them. The presence of a third party cut down some of the tension, but not before "potty Prof" threateningly whispered, "Baker, you will tell me what you are hiding from me, or I will break you until you do so."

His hand threw her arm away and he too stepped from the car, letting Lucy follow behind as they followed Florence to the second floor. There were a good number of cops and forensic specialists present, all investigating the scene of the crime. The flat was small and normal, with nothing out of the ordinary. At least, nothing out of the ordinary to the others investigating. Alfendi ran right to the body, making mental notes to himself about everything.

She was a young lady, one of those types that would have been labeled as cute or quirky. The lady was petite if anything, with stunning brown hair and makeup that enhanced her looks. With how she was lying, someone could believe she was sound asleep. Her small hands were intertwined, resting peacefully at the bottom of her chest. The body and deep, sea blue summer dress were perfectly straight and aligned. The state of her neck gave away from the rest of the calm image, where the rope had been as every second of life she had left was drawn from her. How anyone could blatantly murder a person in cold blood, and then have the time to be caring about the body was plain sick.

Alfendi gave a quick sweep of the apartment, shaking and nodding his head when he came upon certain objects. One object in particular was a candle, which he picked up with a gloved hand. With a rotation and sniff of the object, he placed it back on the table and went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Lucy studied him as he placed one hand on his stubbly chin, clearly in thought. "She knew the man." The few people on at the scene turned to him as a silence fell.

"What makes you say that?" one of the younger officers asked, earning a creepy chuckle from the 'potty Prof'.

"How is it _none _of you see it?! It is obvious that she knew the man for a short period of time! She had invited him over, some stupid date or whatnot- you can tell that much from the state of her clothing and make up! Baker, when you looked around, was there any sign of a break in?"

The detective constable swallowed, her pulse racing, "No Prof, nowt."

"So what can we assume?"

"That…that he was invited in?" she was doing her best to keep up with the Prof, placing the puzzle together one piece at a time.

"Exactly. But this differs from the other cases. With the first three, the bodies were located in alleyways. The fourth one was the same as the sixth, dead in their own flat. If I had to say anything about this killer, he's raising the stakes. The longer he knows the victim, the more of a kick he gets when he slowly strangles them to death. Florence, I want forensic results on this scene as fast as you can." It was twisted how much entertainment Alfendi seemed to be getting out of investigating a murder. It was like his own personal Christmas and Birthday wrapped in one. No one else could join in on this brand of excitement, and it was doubtful anyone would. Only the dark depths of the real Alfendi could enjoy such an event.

"There is nothing else we need to see at this scene. Get back in the car Baker, I have business to take care of at the Mystery Room." She rolled her eyes at his bossy demand, following him to the car as he took the keys from Hilda. The two opened up the doors and took seats as the keys were placed into the ignition. A low rumble moved throughout the car, and it was put into drive. Lucy had been quiet for most of the investigation, shaken that the "gift" that was mentioned over the text had turned out to be a dead body. Her quietness extended into the car ride, thoughts pouring endlessly into her head, earning a number of glances from both sides of the Prof. By this point he _knew_ something was off with Lucy, and although he wanted to be a gentleman and not pry, his true self had to know what she was keeping from him. Nothing, not even Lucy Baker herself, would stop him from learning what she was hiding, and he would much rather know sooner than later.

The car was parked in the station, and the two headed back up to the Mystery Room, as 'placid Prof' could feel his own personality being pushed down. This suffering, suffocating force, drowning him further and further into the darkness; a sensation that only rose when his true self needed to interrogating a criminal. His calm, meek side struggled with every ounce he could muster to take control of the body once more, screaming for Lucy to notice that the true Alfendi was in charge, to simply turn around and look at him. He could not be heard, for there was no voice to scream with, as Lucy kept walking ahead with no intention to even glance behind her. Every fiber of his being fought for control, knowing just how capable the other half was of desolating anything in its path.

He had to fight it. He would not allow his other self to treat Lucy like an obstacle in his path. That fear, that pure fear that shook him to the core took hold of him as the inward battle continued. _'Stop this! What the hell are you doing?!'_

That cold, bitter voice merely laughed, mocking his efforts, _'How pathetic. This is the best you can do? You're weaker than I thought. You know she is hiding something, ever since this morning. And she will NOT withhold information from me.'_

'_It's her business; she even said that she would tell us later.'_

'_HA! You believe that bullshit? That woman drives me crazy every second of the day, and keeping a secret about this case is the last straw. I'm keeping the promise I told her: I will break her until she spills.'_

'_Fuck you.' _He growled, motivated more than ever to take back control. He could see the Mystery Room in front of him, and it was now or never. Using the last of his strength, he pushed upwards on the unrelenting force. Whether by miracle or shear power, control flooded over him, an unprecedented wave of calmness filling him. Next came the exhaustion, hitting him like a ton of bricks as he almost fell forward, his assistant running over to help him up and through the doorway. And then the questioning of _why_ it had seemed so easy to push out his other half, of why he was able to stumble into a standing up position as he let her in before following. He wasn't in control, not in the slightest; he was only a spectator, forced to watch as his hand moved, turning the cold lock so no one could interrupt.


	4. Chapter 4

_**CHAPTER 4  
**_

Her entire body swiveled around when hearing the fain click of the lock. "Prof? Why are you lockin' the door?" 'Potty Prof' gave a faint grin as he turned to face Lucy. Why not have a little bit of investigative fun before the interrogation? Three case files were pulled out of an envelope that had been placed inside of their room, all of them having to do with the series of murders. "Oh, guess We're doin' this now, then?" He couldn't help but watch as she bundled over, right next to him, full of excitement, bright smile on her face as she quickly opened the case files and read them through, memorizing every line and detail. The closeness made his heart flutter, only causing him to then become more angry. _He _did not have _emotion_. _He_ only cared about the murders and criminals. So _why_ did it always change when he was around _her_, that muddle of everything filling him every time.

He needed to focus on the case for the moment, and then he could interrogate his assistant. Because she was the reason why he was so confused inside, and henceforth, she might know the answer. "Oy, Potty! Why don't we 'ave the other case files?" That voice snapped him back to reality, giving Lucy a cold stare once his attention was caught. The coldness he sent out only bounced off the positive bubble that surrounded her. "You would think those morons would give us all the cases, wouldn't you? We only have case files three, four, and five, and we can use what we remember from the scene we were just at for the sixth. And of course, none of the idiots have told us anything, so we'll have to find out what connects the murders together as well." The grumble was clearly not amused about the lack of communication between him and his coworkers.

"So then we'll just do it ourselves! Let's take a look at our victims, shall we?" She beamed, laying out the three files about the victims. She crossed off each possibility on why they were connected. It clearly was not the jobs, for one was a well-known investigative journalist (_'Make sure to keep that in mind, Lucy lass,'_ she thought to herself), and the other two were a librarian and a dentist. Which also meant they were not chosen for the amount of money they had, because each salary was greatly different. The three of them were also left in different places, one in an alleyway, one in a dumpster, and one in their own flat. The closest thing that she could find was the similarities between three and four's physical appearance. They were both very pretty petite women with dark hair. She felt a icy chill go down her spine, recognizing that this was also the case for the most recent victim.

"I think I found somethin'." Her voice had dropped an octave while saying this, showing the potty Prof her findings. "You're probably correct that the killer is going after physical resemblance. But our journalist is different."

"Yeah, because of her looks!"

He shot down her observation, "That is only a part of it, and not the reason why she was killed. You do know who she is, right?" Lucy slowly shook her head, and the Prof let out a huff of frustration. "You stupid, uninformed girl. This is THE investigative journalist Virginia Lawrence. Her section is famous for always having the best scoop in criminal activity, and she in particular is famous for cooperating with both criminals and police in order to get a story. She was probably meeting with our killer…guess she can't be causing anymore trouble around the station…" Lucy gave his arm a smack for his last comment, earning a warning glare.

_Bzzt bzzt. _Her phone was vibrating in her back pocket and she reached around for it.

"You know, he probably locates a future target while with the current target…"

She opened up her phone. Restricted number.

"Another _interesting tidbit_, you have…similar qualities to these girls…"

_Did you like your little present? You'll be getting another one any day now._

"Is our little friend on the other end of the line?" She swore her heart actually stopped as her mobile dropped to the floor, the 'potty Prof' swooping in like a hawk on a piece of prey and trapping Lucy into a corner. The presence exuding from his person was familiar, one she had been around many times while the two of them were interrogating a suspect. "Pr-Prof? Wot ar-are you doin'?" She could feel the quiver in her stuttering voice as the room remained quiet, his tall, lanky body blocking her from the only exit.

"It's rude to change topics, Baker. _Is our little friend on the other end of your phone?_" The cold, heartless eyes glinted through the dark room dangerously, aimed right at her. There was no movement on her end; she had seen countless times how Alfendi desolated criminals. She knew that she would have to tell, but did not realize she would have to tell while being treated like a criminal. Maybe he wouldn't want her off the case though. Her own words echoed through her head, _'I'll tell you later, Prof.'_ Well, it was later, although not by much. She gathered her courage and tossed away her pride.

"I don't know who it is." This was the honest to God truth. She had absolutely no clue who the person sending these texts were. This did not help her much, as the Prof scowled at her in disbelief. "Who _do _you think it is, then?" He took a step forward, leaving only a few feet of space between them as she did her best not to be overwhelmed by the pressure the Prof was placing on her. She had to play the little game she was currently stuck in, there was no other option.

"It's possible it's the killer." She stated bitterly. For some reason, this angered Alfendi even more, that realization that she was being targeted, or at the very least being used for some psychopath's entertainment. The fact that either way, she knew she could be in danger, and she just didn't feel like telling him. His chest was squeezing, only bringing up his earlier thoughts on how she was able to torture him in this way.

"You are off the case." Lucy could not believe her ears. It was the one thing she was hoping would not happen, and the one thing that she would not agree to at any circumstance. She was a detective as well, and at the very least expected Alfendi to understand that chasing down crazed killers was a part of her job. "I am not leavin' this case."

Any personal space between them was now gone at this comment. In a moment's time, her body was pushed right up against the wall, her arms pinned above her head with one strong hand. Those burning, dark honey yellow eyes only an inch away from her own, filled with rage and disapproval and fear. _Fear._ She was sure that had never been there before, because 'potty Prof' was not afraid of anything. It was the opposite of that, people feared him, the lash of his sharp words and his unimaginable intelligence. It did not seem possible that such an emotion was even known to him.

"Do not argue Baker! You are off the case!" The words were like a physical force as they were shoved at her. She did the best she could to glare right back into the Prof's eyes. There was no way she would give up easily.

"Wot do you think you're doin'? Tryin' to scare me off the case or summat? Well do you know wot? That won't work on me like how it works on everyone else 'round you. I'm not 'fraid of you, and you can't scare me offa this case!" The 'potty Prof' flinched back at her words. He had always known her to have determination, but this was a new level. He came back for the next verbal attack, coating it with ice.

He drew closer, leaning his mouth right to her ear, "So is that it? I don't scare you? Well isn't that nice to hear." It was dripping with sarcasm as he placed more pressure down on the thin wrists, earning a whimper of pain from his assistant. Even so, she did not struggle under the pressure. She stayed where she was, standing her ground.

"I'm stayin' on the-"

"Oh no, Baker, we're done with that section of our interrogation. You've made yourself very clear on that topic. Let us move onto an even more puzzling matter. Why aren't you scared?" It sounded strange, being asked why she was not afraid of her dearest friend. Did he not understand that friends shouldn't fear each other? But she could tell he was being serious about this question.

"It's 'cause I trust you Prof. Both sides of you are important t' me."

A small, hushed chuckle swam into her ear, chilling her to the bone, "Don't mock me by lying. You torture me silently every single day; your mere presence tortures me. I attempt to solve a case, and yet there you are with your annoying bubbly personality to distract me. Your stupid Cockney accent plagues my mind every time you open that mouth of yours, and people have started questioning if I've become soft due to you. Don't claim I'm 'important' or 'special' to you when you torture me in these manners!" The voice rose as it continued, gaining momentum as it went on. As he spoke, Lucy felt the urge to flee growing; but she ignored it. If he didn't believe that Lucy meant it when she said that she did trust him, she would just have to show him. Lucy stayed standing, an odd calmness flowing through her as she simply looked at him.

"Let me go." She said plainly, and for a brief second she could feel the pressure lessen, softness shrouded his face as though there was a moment of understanding. It all came right back, the pressure and pain, as his face contorted in confusion right in front of hers; she swore that she could _feel_ the two touching due to how close he was at this point. "Look, I'm sorry if I….distract you, I guess. Didn't realize that I caused you so much difficulty, but did you really need to pin me to a wall to tell me?" It just slipped out, the amount of tension shattering instantly at her comment. 'Potty Prof' had no clue how to respond; after yelling at her, threatening her, and physically harassing her, she was still in front of him, and making _jokes_, for Christ's sake.

He needed to say one more thing, knowing that his assistant would want time to herself after everything he had said and done, "I swear if you die while we are on this case, I'll never forgive you." It was strange, the second those words hit her ear, she gave a grin. Not the normal bubbly grin that was always attached to her face, but a determined, competitive smirk, like she knew something no one else did. And he was one hundred percent sure that it was not solely due to the fact that he had just agreed to let her continue on the case. He rattled his mind as he tried to think if he said something to cause that expression as he backed away, letting go of her wrists.

It went as how he predicted in his mind. The moment he released her, she rubbed the pain out of the wrists and fixed her rusty orange cap. She then made an excuse to leave, and he went along with it. There was almost no exchange of words as she left from the Mystery Room. The second the door closed behind her, he crumpled to the floor, both hands placed on his head as an inner battle started. That annoying, pathetic, slow, placid voice started up after breaking from its inner cage where he was forced to watch everything that had happened. _'Why would you do that to her?! You could have scared the life out of her, and then some. You could have seriously hurt her.'_

He couldn't respond. He knew full well that she could have ended up seriously injured; he knew how scared she could have been. _It's 'cause I trust you Prof. _Those words were on repeat, slowly going through his mind. They were not aimed at his placid side; those words were meant for him, his real half. It was why Lucy was not scared, and why she had faith that Alfendi would not hurt her. Because she trusted _him_. The words were in a wonderful endless loop that never stopped. And he had yelled at her after it, accusing her that she was purposefully causing him this foreign pain every day. He felt his heart drop slightly while replaying everything in his head.

But everything he said had been true. Her voice always filled his head whenever she talked. He couldn't help but be distracted from his work while she hummed around the office merrily. He even embraced the fact that within the stone cold inspector, there was a soft spot for her. But he did not know _why_, and every time he tried to think about it, he became angry. It was the one thing he could not understand.

He just sat on the ground, two separate voices yelling while he tried to understand the impossible.

* * *

Seeing as it was the city of London, there were many diners and cafés that Lucy could go to, but it didn't matter. The encounter between her and Alfendi was still in her mind, and her thoughts and emotions were all jumbled up. He had physically restrained her and yelled at her, and even though it was certainly not the first time being yelled at, he had never so much as laid a finger on her. Yes, she was startled by his actions and not at all happy on how he approached the issue of a possible serial killer contacting her, but there was some sort of edge in his voice that would not escape Lucy while he addressed all of this. Her mind went back to how she had seen fear, actual fear in his eyes, and how he wanted her off the case. It was not a fear for himself; it was a fear that something could happen to his assistant.

She let out a long sigh that had been trapped inside of her since the office. Lucy already knew what would happen when she returned from lunch; that she would forgive him and talk to both 'placid' and 'potty', not receiving a straight answer from either, and then continue on with a normal day of finding murderers. But she had found something that even the Prof did not seem to realize. Throughout all of his insults of her, she knew what he was saying, even when he didn't. At the very base, he cared about her. He was being protective about her wellbeing, even if he wasn't phrasing it in the best of ways. _'NO Lucy lass! Don't overanalyze wot 'e were sayin'! 'e cares 'bout you 'cause you are 'is ASSISTANT. Nowt more.'_ Her mind yelled, trying to convince herself that any feelings she had for him was due to the work space they shared. It was becoming increasingly difficult these days to tell herself this though.

The ever curious mind could not help but wander into the shady territory of 'what if he thinks of me of more than just an assistant and friend', and she could not help but wonder if those emotions would be just one personality or both. Lucy shook out the thought immediately.

A delicious fragrance wafted into her nose, and she decided to follow it. The smell led her to a quaint café that sold all sorts of pastries and goodies, and she entered the door, sitting down at the counter. The inside was bright and cheery, filled with bright blues and pinks and greens, helping Lucy's spirits rise. The smells were amazing, blending into each other as they drifted throughout the café and onto the streets to lure hungry people inside.

She placed an order of three turkey and cheese sandwiches with all of the toppings as her stomach gave a rumble. Even though she was quite small, her stomach turned into a black hole when it came to food. Lucy sat, lost in thought about the events of the afternoon, until she recognized that there was someone next to her addressing her.

"Huh?" She looked over her shoulder to see a young man shyly glancing away as he repeated what he had asked, "I-is there an-anyone next to you?" He was a small man, only a few inches taller than herself while he was slouching, with sea green eyes behind think glasses and high, sharp cheekbones. His face was slightly angular and clean shaven, with messy auburn hair bordering his face. And the way he was behaving, it was clear he was NOT use to having any form of communication with women. At all.

She gave her famous bubbly smile and offered him the chair, immediately lighting up his face with a goofy grin. He adjusted his glasses as he shuffled in his seat, timidly talking, "So…I-I'm D-D-Dean. Wh-wh-wha-what's-"

Lucy giggled, interrupting him and hoping that she would not break the poor, stuttering man by simply talking to him, "I'm Lucy. How are you?"

Dean twiddled with his fingers nervously, "I-I-I'm doi-doing well. I w-was wond-wondering i-i-if I coul-c-could buy you so-som-something t-to eat." Awkwardly enough, Lucy had already paid for her meal, and the three sandwiches she had ordered were placed right in front of her as he said this, causing his face to turn bright red. "O-or I c-could re-re-reimburse you for i-i-it."

"No no, you don't 'ave t' do that. Thank you for the offer, though." Her kind words and smile helped the young man relax, his stutter becoming better, his face still red as ever.

"I-it's just th-that you were si-sitting here alone, and that w-was surprising t-to me beca-bec-because you a-a-are…well, er, um…w-well re-really p-p-pretty." His sentence trailed off by the end, horrified that he could even call a girl pretty to her face, let alone talk to a girl. She felt a blush cross her cheeks at the complement, not usually earning this particular type of attention from others. "Y-you're the first o-o-one I've seen wh-who wasn't with a-a-a guy." Her mind went straight to the thought of who she slightly wanted, scolding herself and reminding herself that it was only an office crush. Dean had seen the expression Lucy made while she thought this, drooping his head down.

"Oh, I s-s-see. D-d-didn't m-mean to-to bother you-"

"Wait, I'm not with anyone. It's just…well, me. I mean, there's a person I'm interested in, I guess." Just saying this felt like a load was taken off of her chest. Just being able to mention to someone that she did have the slightest of crushes on her mentor felt amazing. She wouldn't have been able to admit something like this to anyone at the station, mainly because everyone that worked there gossiped about everything, and word would have gotten around to Alfendi. Dean's face fell a little at hearing about the crush, but it did not seem to affect the fact that he was sitting with stunning, kind young single woman.

Lucy invited Dean to sit with her, talking for a good thirty minutes about all sorts of interests. Television shows, sports, local events, jokes that they had heard of. It was a lot of fun too, as they both ate their food and simply talked. It was a nice change of pace to have a conversation that did not have to do with criminals or dead bodies. Lucy, reasoning that Dean had used every ounce of courage and feeling bad that she did reject him, decided to pay for his meal. There was a small exchange of, "No no no, you don't have to do that," rambling on in the background as she forced his wallet back into his pants and took out her own money in order to pay. They both stood up and shook hands, leaving in a much better mood than when they had entered. "H-hey, thanks for at l-least giving me a chance. It r-really means a lot. And hey, g-good luck with that guy of y-yours!"

Lucy nodded her head with a beaming smile, "Yeah, and thanks for sittin' with me. It was lots of fun!" Dean left first, heading in the opposite direction down the street. She went to check her mobile for the time, but when she checked her back pocket, it was missing. Hey amber eyes grew wide as she checked her person only to find that her mobile was not on her at all. And then she thought back to when she was in the Mystery Room, and how she had dropped it when the text came it.

It was still on the floor of the Mystery Room.

She gave a slight sign of relief, at least knowing where it was. And it wouldn't even matter if the Prof found it, because he already knew that a possible serial killer was contacting her. Still, she wasn't particularly fond of the thought of Alfendi Layton finding her phone and curiosity getting the best of him. Lucy headed back to the Mystery Room at a good pace, navigating the streets of London in order to retrieve her mobile.

* * *

While Lucy was out at lunch, Alfendi had collected himself and was back at his desk trying to understand how the killer worked, an urgency to find and lock away the serial killer. Clearly he targeted pretty petite women and got close to them by going on a few dates to earn trust. He had wanted to raise the stakes from killing them in alleyways to killing them inside of their flats. But the fifth target was where he felt he could find actual information. Virginia was a tall, curvy, blonde woman who was placed in a dumpster. It was defiantly the same killer, there was no doubt about it in his mind, and knowing of her history, it was safe to say she was meeting with him in order to get a scoop. He inserted the case file into the Crime Reconstruction machine, taking a closer look at her body. Everything was the same there as well though; body placed as linear as possible, hands placed nicely on her chest. Was it possible the killer didn't want this body found? It would make sense, seeing as she did not fit into the description of the other victims and she had knowledge of who the killer was.

There had to be _something_ though, his gut told him there had to be something that was overlooked. He searched through every nook and cranny. _'If you wanted to make someone overlook a piece of evidence, where would you put it?' _He smacked his forehead, cursing everyone for being so stupid for not realizing that if there was evidence, it would have been hidden in plain sight. Why would anyone question items that were in a dumpster?

What he needed to find would be a bag or pocketbook, large enough to hold files in. With her sense of fashion, it would be relatively new, but not flashy. And without a doubt, after searching within the dumpster, tucked away in the corner, was her handbag. He silently cursed, realizing he would not be able to see the contents through the machine, or if there even was any contents left. And for all he knew, everything in the dumpster was long gone by this point. But it still gave him a better look at who they were dealing with. There was no doubt in his mind that the killer had read the documents she was planning on blackmailing him with, and knowing Ms. Lawrence, they were most likely police documents and research she did herself. He wasn't only after particular targets; he was after anyone that knew too much as well.

He was nervous that Lucy had been out for so long and hadn't heard from her, and knowing a killer was targeting her didn't ease the worry. He took out his phone and sent a text asking when she would be returning. Not that he figured it would be of much help; he didn't think that Lucy would forgive him so easily. A second later, he heard a faint _bzzt bzzt_ of a phone. "Huh?" Searching for the source, he found Lucy's mobile lying on the ground, unmoved from when it had fallen from her grasp. On the screen showed **(1) new text from Prof :D : **_Hello, just wondering when you were heading back._

He felt heat rise to his face as he looked at the text, embarrassed about how it sounded in his mind, and even more embarrassed at the smiley face next to his little nickname. How long had Lucy had it typed into her mobile? He chuckled at imagining her entering in his name, believing he needed a smile more often. But the fact that her mobile was in the room with him meant that Alfendi would just have to wait for her to return. The mobile buzzed again in his hand. "I didn't send it twice, did I?" He couldn't help but look at the screen. His breath hitched in his throat.

**(1) new text from [Restricted Number]: **_Next time, I'll pay for lunch._

"What the hell?" Had he went out and found her? Had she willingly met the killer for lunch? Were the two of them already…No, he would not think that way. His assistant was bright enough not to land herself in trouble. _'She is hasty enough though.' _That thought caused his stomach to twist and turn in the most painful way imaginable, and his instinct yelled to go find her. He ran from the room in search for her, clutching the mobile hard in his hand.


	5. Chapter 5

_**CHAPTER 5:**_

The brisk pace she had stepped into continued as every step took her closer to her office. After the pleasant lunch, she felt ready to deal with whatever the Mystery Room could throw at her, even another crazed 'potty Prof' episode. Although she would rather not have to deal with the Prof yelling at her again, especially with his strange ramblings that he was spewing that afternoon. With the amount of time she excused herself from the office, the Prof had to have pulled himself together into a calmer 'potty Prof' or his placid self. Lucy smiled to herself as she thought of both sides of the Prof, how they disliked recognizing that the other was a part of them, yet they had similar quirks and interests. _'Well, they are both Alfendi…makes sense that the two of 'em 'ave similar tastes.' _These thoughts continued on for a while and she mentally grinned at the two halves of her mentor.

Thinking about the Prof must have been affecting her more than she thought, because she swore that in the distance she spotted a familiar shade of maroon hair and long white coat. She rubbed her eyes, believing that it was only her imagination after thinking of the Prof. When she reopened her eyes, the figure was still present a ways away on the sidewalk. And he was heading towards her at an alarming rate, Lucy not knowing whether to turn tail in the opposite direction or meet him half way. Was he looking for her? That question was all the more reason for Lucy to question what to do.

Even from the distance away Alfendi was at this point, she could tell there was no menacing air around him. His entire persona actually made the assistant believe that he was hastily searching for her. There had to be a specific reason; 'potty' only left the office for a case and 'placid' never left the office, period. Lucy continued to walk forward, a puzzled expression painted on her face as her mentor continued running towards her.

His heavy breathing soon caught her ear as he caught up to her, his long skinny legs covering the amount of distance between them. When the Prof reached her, he grabbed both of her shoulders and eyed her from head to toe, receiving an even greater look of puzzlement from Lucy. Alfendi did not talk during this entire strange exchange, in part because he was still trying to catch his breath due to having a poor lung capacity from smoking. He focused in on every inch of her, checking to make sure his amazing assistant was safe, letting go of his stress for relief once he determined that nothing had happened to her.

"Thank god you are alright." He muttered, as a surge of emotion ran through him. And then something very unexpected happened, that neither of them saw coming. Alfendi pulled her into a tight embrace, right there in the middle of the street. The strong scent of coffee, cigarettes, and him filled her nose as her head was shoved into his chest by two warm arms. She silently thanked the universe that he could not see her face, because the tender and caring contact instantly brought a deep blush to her face. There was something she did not understand, however.

"What ya mean, 'I'm alright'? Why wouldn't I?" Alfendi released her from his hug, slightly embarrassed from his emotional outburst. Out of the deep, newspaper filled pockets was her mobile. He hesitated before handing it over to her, and Lucy took it from his hand.

"Your mobile was still on the floor from…from this afternoon," It was clear both 'potty' and 'placid' were uncomfortable even mentioning the events of that afternoon, "so I picked it up, and then…just look at the text." She opened the phone to find two new messages, one of them being from her mysterious contact. Her stomach gave a lurch as she read it, threatening to empty all the food she had just consumed as her head grew dizzy. She had sat next to a killer, had food and interesting discussions, and not even once did she suspect him of anything horrid. The Prof threw out an arm as Lucy started to wobble, helping her steady her stance.

A fire like nothing else filled her very being as the thought that she had let the killer of six women escape from her grasp, and the previously wobbly legs turned the other way and ran. Maybe she could catch up with him, or get a clue about where he was going. If there even was a small chance she could catch up to 'Dean' and cuff him, she would take it. Ignoring the confused and worried shouts of her mentor, she went in a full sprint to the café. Lucy did not get far though. Alfendi quickly recognized what she was doing, that she was trying to go after the man, and went after her, the fear that she could land in danger still plaguing his mind. With a few fast paced leaps, he was able to catch up to his apprentice, taking hold of her wrist to stop her from continuing. She struggled for a moment against his hand, trying to pry it from her wrist.

"Lucy, stop! Going after this man is absolutely insane, especially when he is targeting you! He's gone, ok? We'll catch him, but- STOP struggling, you persistent woman!- but you are not putting yourself in such a dangerous situation! I am not losing-"

His emotions must have gotten the best of him as he gazed into her face, imagining not being able to see her wonderful, energetic face every day. Alfendi coughed, attempting to cover up his broken train of thought, "I am not losing my assistant." It was only then he realized he was still holding her wrist, for the third time that day. He flushed red and immediately dropped the physical contact. What was _wrong_ with him today? He was never a fan of human contact in general, and yet he had already held her wrist (all three times _were_ physical restraints from the 'potty' side, he reminded himself) and given her a hug. In public. From his real half. Maybe that girl was making him soft…

The way he said that last little sentence caught Lucy's attention. There was so much determination, yet she couldn't help but notice a degree of loss that chimed from his words. It made her realize that maybe she should take a small step back from the case, not try to be so rash as to chase down a man that would eventually try to kill her. She huffed with frustration at her thinking.

"Then let's 'urry up back t' the office! If we can't catch 'im now, we gotta do more investigatin'!" Lucy heard a hum of approval from the Prof, and the two headed off for the Mystery Room. There was not much discussion along the way back, Lucy's head rambling continuously about how she had to catch the killer and Alfendi still sour at himself for everything that had perspired that afternoon. The fact that Lucy was safe filled him up though as he glanced over to look at her. _'I'm honestly shocked. You still can't figure out what she is to you, even after everything that happened?' _The real Prof scowled at the other's comment, still not understanding what he meant.

'_No, I don't know why I keep feeling this way, you pathetic imposter. I don't suppose you know, now do you?'_

His other half actually laughed at this, like it was a joke only he knew the answer to, _'You have to figure it out on your own. Now, if you don't mind…'_ A splitting headache ran through his head as he could feel himself losing control of his actions, sinking deeper and deeper into the pits of his mind. The 'placid' half slowly started to gain control, becoming aware of the sounds and smells and feelings that surrounded him. During this, Lucy saw the Prof's hand go up to clutch his head and saw him totter, going over to help him steady himself.

There he was, his light maroon hair, the soft shy honey-yellow eyes, the small timid smile rising to his face. " 'ello Placid Prof! 'aven't talked t' you in a bit, it seems." He returned the bright grin that Lucy was giving him, almost like two old friends who have not seen each other for a good while.

"Yes, it would seem he comes out much more often when you are around. Doesn't give me quite the chance for me to be in control nowadays." He chuckled whole-heartedly. He had no clue how his other half could not see it yet, how absolutely amazing and stunning his assistant was. Sure, his real half seemed to recognize the fact that there was something about Lucy that set him off from his normal attitude, but that was about it at times. _'But,'_ he reminded himself, _'he seems to be understanding slowly.' _

"Oy, wot you smilin' at?" Lucy asked, earning a light-hearted chuckle from the Prof, "Just glad to be heading back to the Mystery Room, Lucy."

Or so he thought, because the moment they entered the station, the two of them were dragged into Hilda's office without explanation. It was a reasonable size, with brown wood floors and plain white walls. Everything had its place, the files being used neatly stacked on top of each other on the organized desk. Lucy, after working in the Mystery Room for more than half a year, was shocked to see an office so clean and tidy. Actually, now that she put her mind to it, she had never set foot in Hilda's office.

"What's this all about?" His placid side was indeed curious; it wasn't every day Hilda had the duo called. He rationalized it had to do with the case.

"The Commissioner believes that the killer is going to strike at a public event, what with assuming the killer is raising the stakes. He's assigning investigators to mingle around some of the events that are going around London to make sure people are safe."

Oh no. Alfendi knew where this was going.

"He thought that, well…this Friday there's a party being held at the London Museum of Science for a recent dig in Egypt. You know a good amount of people that attend this event-"

"No, I am not going. I'll follow the Commissioner's orders, but I refuse that location." It startled Lucy to hear a darker tone of voice from the 'placid Prof'. Clearly he had an issue with attending this particular event, even if it was for a case. But why, she had no idea. Hilda only stared back with a you-don't-really-get-a-say-in-this expression, earning a frustrated grumble from Alfendi. She ignored it, continuing talking, "Don't be all pissy about it Al. Lucy's assisting you while you're there, and it's not as if you are guards. You might as well dress up and try to enjoy yourself."

Alfendi had enough of it, wisely leaving before he would do or say anything he would regret in front of the other inspector and his assistant. The Commissioner had ordered it, and 'placid Prof' wasn't going to make a scene out of it, even if he did want to punch his boss in the face. Lucy and Hilda watched as the Prof walked out of the room, leaving Hilda with a face of distress and Lucy having no idea why the Prof would react that way for having been assigned to a science museum.

"Hilda, wot's the matter with 'im? Why's 'e all against it?"

Hilda gave a sigh, placing her hand to her forehead, "Honestly, it probably isn't my place to say…" Her sky blue eyes met the concerned, curious amber ones. Hilda knew how important Alfendi was to her; she had felt that way once, and by the time she had gathered her courage to say how she felt, it was too late. Hilda gave another sigh, "Al's family typically attends the events at the London Museum of Science, and he's…never really been on good terms with them. But Al would recognize everyone there, and would be able to tell if the killer was there! We need him at this event."

Lucy could see the stress in her face. " 'ow 'bout I try and convince 'im. Worth a shot, eh?" Hilda gave a greatful smile. If anyone could convince Al, it was Lucy. She reached out her hand, shaking hands with the smaller woman. "Thank you so much. If I marched up and tried to continue the topic, it would end up in a yelling match." Lucy merely laughed; the two were known for their long arguments and yelling matches around the Yard.

The door opened, gesturing Lucy to head back to her office. _'One more thin' t' do…it's been a looong day.'_

* * *

She was welcomed to the sight of the Prof pacing around furiously, a stern expression burning into the paper-covered floor as smoke puffed out of the cigarette he had in his mouth. The noise of her entering caught his attention, looking up to make a grimace. "Gah, I can't believe it! Being used in such a pathetic manner!" He bellowed, throwing his long arms in the air while the cigarette dangled on his lips.

"Now now, wot you complainin' 'bout?" She questioned, an innocent curiosity slightly forced due to knowing the base answer. The Prof grumbled incoherently before dropping onto the well-worn brown couch. Lucy went and opened a window to let the smoke out before a fire alarm went off as he took another drag. Nothing was said as the Prof weighed if telling Lucy was even a good idea. He had never talked about family matters to anyone, except Hilda and Justin when they were all in school together. Still, that was a long time ago, and he had never discussed it since.

"It's nothing of concern to you Lucy."

"Not with the way you're actin'. Now fess up Prof, why do ya not wanna go t' this museum thin'?"

"It's nothing, you stupid girl."

"I don't believe ya. Why you so against it?"

He gave an inhale, breathing in the swirly-grey smoke. God only knew how persistent his assistant was. He had witnessed it first hand with every case, and seen its true extent while at Forbodium Castle. Lucy would probably continue to ask and prod him until he either answered or snapped at her. And even though he disliked mentioning family matters, he didn't want a second go at Lucy within the same day. Alfendi knew a losing battle when he saw it.

"I'm invited to these damn events every year. Toss away the invite every time too." He fiddled with the cigarette within his hand, "Practically my entire family shows up for these types of events, and…well I don't get along with the majority of them." He kept it short and sweet, hoping that would be enough to satisfy Lucy as she moved to sit down next to him.

"Well, guess that's why the Commissioner wants ya at it then…didn't realize you 'ad a family so into archaeology." This comment actually earned a laugh from Alfendi, only encouraging him to continue talking.

"My father is a professor of archaeology, along with my uncle, and my brother and mother both travel for archaeological digs. My family practically is what London knows as archaeology."

"Wow…so wot is it? They don't like that you didn't follow the family trade or summat?" Every comment he was making only brought up her curiosity about the topic. She never really knew about his family; he was not one to bring it up. He had commented when they had first met that his father was a professor, and that he had a brother, but nothing else. She was sensing it wasn't a topic he brought up often.

"In fact, they supported me the entire time. I get the feeling my father was let down a little, but he never said otherwise. My father and I have never met eye to eye on anything though…" His words trailed off into nothing, small thoughts running through his head as Lucy eyed him.

"Sounds like you 'ave a supportin' family though, eh? That's always a good thing." He shrugged his shoulders. They did seem to support and love him, but the feeling wasn't entirely mutual. There were always spats going on between himself and his father, along with many heated arguments between him and his younger brother. It was something that would always nag at his heart, and he never felt particularly good about feeling that way. Alfendi took a long drag from the cigarette while thinking of a subject to change to, crushing the weak stick in his ashtray when he had finally thought of something.

"You mentioned your family this morning. With that bubbly attitude, you had to have grown up in a caring household."

Lucy gave a chuckle at this, "Yeah, I did. My mum was always workin' hard, wot with between work, visitin' pop in the 'ospital, and takin' care of me. My auntie and uncle looked after me lots as well, 'specially before pop passed away."

"Oh...I had no ide-"

"Don't you start bein' sorry for me 'placid', it 'appened a long time ago, and it doesn't bother me anymore. Besides, 'e was all sorts of brave, accordin' to mum. Took a bullet to save 'is best mate while on a police raid, 'e did, and landed 'imself in a 'ospital bed for a good few years. Mum didn't take it too well at first when I wanted t' be on the force like 'im, but she's all sorts of proud now!" Her chest puffed up with pride as she exclaimed this last sentence.

He had no idea Lucy had gone through the loss of a parent. She was always so happy and positive; it was difficult to picture her going through something so traumatic. He knew he would have a hard time with something of that manner. "I'm sure your father's proud of you too." The Prof's caring words truly meant a lot to Lucy as she gave a smile back to him, her heart pounding as she gazed at his face. Lucy reached out and squeezed his hand. "Thanks," was all she said. Their eyes both lingered on each other, Lucy's hand still on top of Alfendi's. She swore that the space between them was steadily becoming warmer until she was burning, both pairs of eyes still fixed. She was frozen, and she was fairly certain the Prof was as well. The pounding of her heart was all she could hear, each one seemingly becoming louder as the seconds passed.

Her heart skipped an entire beat as she felt movement, and sank almost immediately when the Prof stood from the couch. "It's…uh…really getting hot in here. I'll…just go open the other window…" She had been silly for getting her hopes up, the burning sensation still present on her face as she too stood up, making her way to some of the case files scattered around on her desk. Why would she ever think that something would happen? It was- _'Lucy lass, don't lie to yourself. If anythin', that just proved you are 'ead over 'eals for 'im,' _whispered her voice in the back of her mind.

"Lucy?" Just hearing his voice call her name made her heart jump to her throat. Oh no. Had he noticed how red her face had turned? Did the stare not seem like forever to him? Had her heart really been pounding against her chest that loud? "I…umm…I think I'll be fine going to the museum party. Just make sure I don't do something stupid, ok?"

Well, at least she had one problem over and done with. "Of course I will. I do that most of the time anyways." She teased, earning a silly grin from Alfendi.

"We can discuss the details tomorrow, ok? The party's a few days away, so that should give us some extra time to crack down on this case. We may find something useful."

Lucy nodded her head. If anything, she needed to put her efforts into this case. That had to be her number one priority for the time being. _'After this case is done, then I'll tell 'im.'_ If it happened sooner, so be it, but she would tell him after the case.

'_Then, I'll tell 'im.' _


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6:**_

A/N: Sorry for the wait. The chapter after this may be a bit of a wait as well; I was unexpectedly busy this week, and I am camping next week. Also this chapter has _slight _spoilers, mainly the fact that Professor Layton has an older brother. Do not worry though, I do not call the man by name :D Thank you so much for the reviews as well!

* * *

The days flew by as Friday soon approached. The handful of days in between were becoming more stressful as the duo devoted every second to the Strangler cases, not finding a single lead that could be followed. They stayed up all night long, to the point where even Lucy was starting to sleep in the Mystery Room, waking up in the mornings to down a _lot_ of coffee and heading back for more investigative work.

Hilda would stroll in every once in a while to see how they were doing, more concerned about her coworkers than the actual case at a certain point. One of these times she entered with the extra details for the museum party, much to Alfendi's dislike. Since they had to blend in so they wouldn't draw too much attention (one so the guests would not worry and two so the killer wouldn't spot them easily), the duo was to wear the proper attire. Later that day, Lucy was shanghaied into a shopping trip by none other than the blonde inspector herself and Florence, after learning that Lucy didn't even own a dress. The hyper-focused Prof didn't even notice his assistant missing until she ran in through the door, a few bags on her arms and her mobile open in one hand, with a text reading: _It's truly upsetting that the Commissioner is trying to ruin my fun at the party I'm attending._ _How rude._

She didn't even seem scared of this text like the last few, Alfendi observed. In fact, it amplified her drive to catch the man, steam protruding from her ears in heated anger as she threw everything in her arms to the ground as she stormed over to the case files. She was driven by the simple thought of catching this crazed lunatic who was murdering young women just for kicks, that she would not let it happen to anyone else, that it would not happen to her. Lucy wanted this man behind bars for life; there was a furious passion behind her that even Alfendi was transfixed by.

While Lucy's determination was growing, Alfendi was becoming more and more infuriated by the day. The killer contacting Lucy again had made his blood boil, and seeing as there were a trail of parties occurring that week, the text did not give any info to what party he would attack at. It also didn't help that every time Alfendi went through the cases, he couldn't pick up any leads, and knowing he had to attend a party he had no wish of going to was the icing on the cake.

The stress of it all was causing Alfendi to randomly lash out at the simplest of things, even as far flinging a picture off of the second floor hallway because it was 'looking at him the wrong way'. Lucy was starting to fear about his mental health and was constantly next to him, trying to help in any way possible. And a good thing to, because his mental health was slowly draining due to the case, the party, the normal issue of split-personality, and _her_.

The heat and tension after the two had talked on the couch still lingered in Alfendi's mind. He had opened up to her, and in return, she opened up to him. He had touched her smooth, gentile hand, only to crave more contact. To cup her soft cheek with his hand, to run his fingers through her light chestnut brown hair. To lean in closer and press him lips against hers, and feel her returning the affection. He had wanted that, to be close to her, to feel her against himself and get caught up in the moment, and then both sides of him had chickened out. A confused fear had run through him, scared that maybe she wouldn't return the affection, that maybe Lucy would push away from him and say it was a mistake.

That maybe she would accept him, help him finally open up, and then one day get up and leave.

His 'potty' side had cringed yet again as that last thought traveled through his mind. Vulnerability and weakness were traits he highly frowned upon, and he wouldn't be distracted by his thoughts and feelings. Not that night, anyways. Friday had finally arrived, albeit slowly and painfully, and he gave a frustrated groan as he shuffled through his small closet. The entire bottom half was stacked with books, loose papers, and broken lab equipment, while the top half consisted of clothing that he never wore. So Alfendi decided that there had to be a suit or tux or _something_ stashed away and began rummaging through. After a considerable amount of time tossing clothing and rubbish onto the floor of the barely used bedroom, he found a decent attire to wear.

It was a tux he had received a considerable number of years back, he couldn't even remember why it was given to him. With a small grumble of displeasure, he changed into the tux. It was as black as night and incredible fancy looking; he also fit into it perfectly. He hated it with a passion. Alfendi stepped in front of the mirror, looking at his reflection. Maybe if he glared at it long enough, the tux would catch on fire. Alas, the tux did nothing of the sort, and Alfendi knew it would never work anyway. Actually, now that he noticed, he didn't look half bad…causing him to hate the tux all the more.

Giving yet another glare at his reflection, he finished getting ready, taking a look at the time when he was done. _'8:09 and counting.' _ The placid side thought in the back of his mind. That side of him had been very verbal the entire day, calming him down and telling his real half that nothing terrible would happen. _'Lucy will be with you the entire time, don't worry. If anything, be worried about father asking puzzles.' _'Potty' gave an audible snicker to the comment, for once agreeing with his other half. The placid side was right though, Lucy would be near him the whole time, from when he was picking her up at 8:30 until the end of the damn night when he dropped her off.

Speaking of which, he had to leave soon. Alfendi walked out of the terribly messy bedroom to the even messier main room. It was in a worse state than the office; books and newspapers were piled up around the room, leaving a pathway through all of the clutter. The short wooden table next to the couch where he normally slept had chemistry equipment on it, including a glass container filled with something that resembled green goo and a different jar had 'corrosive' written on it. The small counter next to the door was the only thing that was cleaned off, usually where anything of importance was placed. He swerved around the room to the small counter, placing his police badge in one pocket and his keys in the other, rearranging the hidden gun holster that was underneath the tux.

Alfendi headed out, locking the door behind him and making his way to the police car he had borrowed outside. Lucy's flat was a good ten minutes from his own while driving, but unfortunately it was in the opposite direction of the museum. 'Potty Prof' cursed silently under his breath while driving, dreading the idea of possibly seeing some of his family. Hoping that they would not be there was silly, because they _would_ be there. These thoughts continued to flow in through his head while questioning how on earth he would ever survive the next three hours of his life.

And as he pulled the car next to the curb, his question was answered. "Wow…" It came out breathy as he was entranced by the figure standing on the concrete stairs. Alfendi actually had to question if it really was Lucy for a moment, she was so absolutely stunning. Was she secretly an angel? Her strapless black dress showed off her slim, milky shoulders and extenuated the elegant collar bone. The dress clung tightly around her chest and midsection, allowing the smooth curves of her figure to be shown. The dress, just a bit above the hip, fanned out into a cone shape, contrasting with the tightness of the top half of the dress. It stopped right at the knee, showing off her surprisingly long and skinny legs. Her hair had been brought back best it could into a small bun on the back of her head. The small amount of makeup she wore brought out her sparkling amber eyes, defining her high curving cheek bones, and giving even more colour to the bright grin.

And for once in her life, she was not wearing the burnt orange cap she always wore.

All Alfendi could do was stare at her, a familiar warmth spreading to every inch of his body as the angel approached the police car. "Oy, is summat on my dress?" He forced his eyes to stop examining his assistant and turn his head in the other direction, "N-no…it's nothing. It's just that..erm…" 'Potty Prof' was becoming overwhelmed just by being in Lucy's presence, and there was no way he could unsee just how stunningly beautiful she looked. While the real Prof was at a loss of words, 'placid Prof' was frantically rambling, _'Really?! NOW you have to be lost for words?!_ _Say something, 'It's just that you look pretty' or lovely, or gorgeous!'_

"It's just that you clean up really well."

He could actually feel the other half of him mentally place a hand on his forehead. Lucy merely laughed, smiling widely at the small complement that 'potty Prof' graced her with. A simple complement such as that could not have been easy for the real Alfendi to say, she reminded herself, causing her heart to jump to think that the usually cruel and negative Prof would ever have any kind words.

"Why thank you Prof! 'onestly I 'ate dressin' up like this, but Flo were sayin' I 'ad to get this one. Hilda weren't too sure if this would work on me, or summat." She took her place in the seat, buckling up as the car gave a lurch forward as it moved into drive.

'Placid Prof' did not miss a beat as she was saying this, quickly taking control as he felt the other half about to lash out at the undeserved comment that Hilda made, "Well I do agree with Florence; it is a lovely dress. It suits you quite nicely. You should dress up more often." Lucy was absolutely flattered. She was getting honest to god complements from both sides of the Prof, sending her straight to Cloud Nine. A goofy grin was set on her face as she began talking about the journey through the mall with her two coworkers, at which 'placid Prof' was all ears for.

The story lasted for the entire car ride to the museum, which was good because it meant that neither side of the Prof did much talking. The less talking, he reasoned, the less likely either side of him would say something stupid or mean. Every minute the car closed in on the museum, the more nervous both sides of Alfendi got. Being nervous was not something he liked, and he was becoming increasingly agitated about the entire package of that night; having to attend a social gathering, having to see relatives, the fact that he couldn't even look at his assistant without his heart actually missing a beat, and that the real Alfendi was beginning to understand why the thought of Lucy stirred emotions that were so unbelievably foreign. It was the opposite of what he had lived with for the past few years of his life, alone for almost every hour of the day with nothing but his case files. In fact, a few months ago he would have given anything to keep his life the same.

But now…

He gently glanced over at his assistant, who was still talking about her first big adventure to a mall. She had changed everything from the moment she entered his office. Life before her almost seemed bleak and colourless now, a world so out of place that he couldn't believe he had lived with it for so long.

It took about thirty minutes from Lucy's flat to the parking lot at the museum, but the entire ride felt like it only took a blink of the eye. Where had the time gone? Alfendi shook his thoughts out of his head, getting back into his inspector mindset. "Do you have everything you need? I didn't see you with a handbag."

Lucy giggled at this, "I've got everythin' in my pockets!" He gave a puzzled look at this; the dress certainly did not have pockets. She continued her giggling, lifting a corner of her dress to revile that she was wearing a pair of very short shorts. The giggles turned into a fit of laughter as the 'placid Prof's' face turned into a shy I-really-should-have-known type of expression.

He waited for the laughs to die down before asking if she was ready to go. With an excited nod, the duo exited the car and headed into the museum. "Now, there are a few things I will mention before we enter," he started as they made their way to the front entryway, "first off, stay by my side; we don't know if the killer is here, and I am sure that if he is, we will spot him easier if we are together. Second, could you…uh, use Alfendi instead of Prof for this one time? I doubt anyone will be impressed, seeing as I am not actually a professor." She agreed with both of his requests, although frowning a bit at the second one. Lucy liked using her little nickname for him, but she understood why he was asking this.

The doorman let them enter, being informed earlier that two members of Scotland Yard was attending incognito. The moment they entered the room where the party was being held, Lucy let out an excited gasp. The room was nothing like she had ever seen; the bright golds and yellows were wonderfully inviting, and all around there were display cases of both strange and interesting artifacts. On the other side of the room was a tiny balcony that overlooked the entire room, causing Lucy to think _'A perfect bird's eye view!' _ All around were people dressed in fancy clothing, greeting each other and making small talk as they examined the displays. In one section of the room there was dancing, the magnificent colours of the dresses blending together to make an ever changing rainbow. The scents of all the perfume and cologne were drowning out all other smells, mixing and swirling throughout the entire room. She had never experienced anything quite like this, and was absolutely caught up in everything the moment had to offer.

"By 'eck, this is simply amazin'!" It was like a child in a candy shop; her amber eyes grew as big as dinner plates as she immediately took off in excitement, leaving Alfendi's line of sight. His placid side let out a sigh. After all of the time the two spent together, he should have realized that Lucy would forget his request of 'stay with me' the moment she entered the building. Now he would have to move throughout the sea of people to find the girl.

"Well, she's still in the room," he muttered to himself, rubbing his chin as he made his way throughout the crowd. The number of people made the Prof uncomfortable, causing him to snap at some when they would block his path with his placid side apologizing as he moved away. This routine continued for another good ten minutes, until he reached a small side of the room where he spotted Lucy talking pleasantly with a man. _'Oh no…' _Alfendi felt his stomach drop, picking up on who she was talking to, _'Please don't be telling small child stories about me….'_

The inspector walked towards Lucy and the man, his guts telling him that it would be best to intervene before anything went out of hand. The man was much older than Alfendi, yet just as lanky, with a pair of classy glasses that framed his chocolate brown eyes. He too was wearing a tux, a deep grey one that made his slicked back silver hair stand out. The man was the first one to see Alfendi heading towards the two, his face brightening up into a grin. "Ah! Why if it isn't little Alfi! How's my favorite nephew?"

Alfendi let his hand greet the one being offered, shaking it and joining the conversation, "I see you've met my Uncle, Lucy. And there is no need to claim you have a favorite nephew."

The Uncle laughed off Alfendi's words, "Oh, you know I say that to both you and your brother," the lines sounded like they had been said many times throughout the years, "you need to lighten up a little, my lad. Like this wonderful young assistant of yours! I have to say, she is quite unique."

A small blush crossed over Lucy's face at the complement, "Well I wouldn't go _that_ far…"

The 'placid Prof' placed a hand on Lucy's slim shoulders, causing the blush to grow crimson and her nerves to jump, "No, I would have to agree that you are one of a kind. But I'm not the one to lighten up easily."

"Aha, if you do say so. Say, have you seen your father? I have yet to run into him." Lucy could feel the hand on her bare shoulder tighten for a brief moment, knowing that 'placid Prof' was fighting his other half down in an attempt to not make a scene.

"I have not. We only just arrived, and then I was trying to find Lucy after she took off. We actually have a job we should be doing right now."

"I should have known that the only reason you were here was for your job. Simply by the fact that you are here tells me this is classified Scotland Yard work." Alfendi gave the smallest nod of the head, "Don't worry, I won't pry or take your time any longer.

"Thank you Uncle. If I do see father, I shall make sure to tell him that you are looking for him."

"Looking for who, my boy?" A man, in a black tux and a magnificent top hat that covered most of his hair, had approached them while Alfendi was attempting to say a quick farewell. She could feel the grip tighten yet again, for a considerable number of seconds this time. It was her turn to swoop in and interrupt the emerging 'potty Prof', " 'ello Mr. Layton! You're the Pr- erm, Alfendi's pop, yeh?"

She wasn't so sure if Alfendi's father caught onto the fact that she intentionally stepped in between, blocking off Alfendi, but she was quite sure both sides of the Prof noticed. "Yes I am, my lady, but please call me Hershel. You must be Lucy Baker. The Commissioner raves about your investigative talents." This got Lucy beaming the second the words reached her ears. She wasn't sure that anyone really noticed her at the office, but the fact that the Commissioner was impressed gave her a huge boost of self-confidence.

"So Alfendi, what have you been up to? I have not heard from you in a while." Though it rang with such a positive air, Lucy could hear the hidden tones of sadness. Did the Prof really have that much strained feelings towards his father to the point where they did not talk often? It made it all the sadder to watch as Alfendi's father was struggling to connect with his eldest son.

Thankfully, 'placid Prof' was still in control, "I've been quite busy with cases. The pile continues to grow if someone is not there to solve them. At the moment, we are on a case that is particularly baffling."

"Well, I wish the best of luck to you both on your case then." Both Lucy and the Prof's Uncle noticed the awkward silence that fell as neither Hershel or Alfendi continued talking. Lucy could actually feel Alfendi's two sides struggling, seeing his hair switching back and forth between crimson and maroon. This time it was his Uncle that went in for the save, "Now Lucy, did I mention that I once flew a car all the way to Egypt?"

This certainly caught the attention of Hershel, who's voice turned into a kind scolding, "You stole the Laytonmobile with Emmy and then proceeded to crash it in Egypt."

The Uncle only burst out laughing, "Thank goodness for that! The sand cushioned the fall nicely. You know you should not have told me of the flying mechanic that Palo placed in your car."

"I did not even know it still worked; he placed that in years ago. However it was ungentlemanly to take the Laytonmobile without asking." This was the beginning of playful brotherly banter, which amused both Lucy and Alfendi, and continued on until the inspector excused themselves, saying that they needed to go back to their work. The duo moved through the crowd together, looking for anyone that could be their killer. Lucy kept in mind the image of the man she had shared lunch with, but not spotting anyone that shared even a similar face. It was difficult to make out the faces of others within the sea of people, and from their angle on the floor. There was no possible way to see if there was anyone that was with a woman that fit the description of petite with brown hair.

"Oy, P- I mean Alfendi, there's a balcony that oversees the room! We'd get a better view of the place from there!" Once again, she dashed off, the Prof trailing behind her. Behind one of the turns, there was a door that led to the staircase. The handle would not turn all the way; it was locked. After a few attempts, 'potty Prof' moved Lucy aside, pulling out a ring of keys.

"Uh, Prof, where'd ya get them keys?" He ignored her question, knowing the answer of 'I pick pocketed a guard' would get a grade-A lecture, and started trying each of the keys in the lock. With a satisfying _click_ the door opened to revile a red carpeted staircase that led directly up to the balcony, which they both ascended. From their new perspective, they could see everything that was happening in the room, yet it still did not help.

Alfendi was leaning both arms on the railing, gazing at every inch of the room with a keen eye. As far as he could tell, no one present seemed suspicious. They held this position for a good amount of time, continuing to look out into the crowd. He glanced over at Lucy, also inspecting the room. From where he was, he had a clean view of her left arm, which still held the scaring bullet wound from longer than a week earlier.

"Is that getting any better?" 'Potty Prof' asked, gesturing to the graze.

"Yeah, it's been 'ealin' fast. It'll be leaving a scar, but it don't bother me." There was a strange seriousness to her voice that was not present before. "Your Uncle takes a shinin' t' you."

There was a softness to the real Prof's voice, "He was the one that pushed me towards investigative work in the first place. Uncle recognized even before my father that I had no intentions on working in the field of archaeology, and figured my talents might be good in this field." Being sentimental was not something Alfendi dabbled in, but it felt right being able to talk with his assistant like this.

"Ah…well I'm glad 'e convinced ya t' join."

"Huh?"

"Well if you didn't join, I'd never 'ave met the one an' only Alfendi Layton." It was odd hearing his actual name flow from Lucy's mouth, sending a chill down his spine, yet at the same time he could feel his chest ache. He never knew how fond he was of his little nickname.

"You should just stick with calling me Prof. It's weird hearing my actual name from you." She gave a light-hearted laugh, moving a bit closer to the Prof. The small movement instantly made his heart beat ten times faster, feeling the warmth that came off of Lucy as the distance closed between them. "The music is nice. Typical ball room dancing music, if I'm correct."

"Hmm…I like it. It's soothin'…." Many of the people below had begun dancing, almost as though the music was charming them into it. It was beginning to have an effect on Lucy, who started to slowly move back and forth with the rhythm of the music that was filling the air. She reached out and tugged on the Prof's tux, "Come on Prof, everyone else is dancin'!"

His shyness instantly showed, "I'm not the one to dance Lucy. I don't even know how to."

She disregarded his excuse, still pulling at him, "Then we'll dance up 'ere! No one 'as t' know ya can't dance then." Even with his hair slowly turning a bright crimson and his honey-yellow eyes growing sharper, Lucy persistently asked. The final straw was her saying, "You should listen t' your Uncle! You need t' lighten up a tad Prof!"

"Fine, you silly girl, I'll dance with you!" Suddenly she was violently swung around into a dancing position by the 'potty Prof', one of his hands placed in her waist and the other holding her hand. The sudden closeness turned Lucy's face scarlet as they slowly moved around the balcony by their lonesome, swaying to the music like pieces of grass in the wind.

"I thought you said you can't dance." There was no response to her comment, the music softly danced around the two as they continued to move in slow circles. His hair would switch every so often, almost as though the two sides of the Prof had agreed that they would both dance with her. The moment did not seem to have ending; they were enjoying the unsaid peace that had settled between them. 'Potty Prof's' hand was slowly snaking around her waist, pulling the young woman in. Alfendi could actually feel Lucy growing warmer, her entire body beginning to shake out of nerves as he held her closer.

There was electricity shooting between the two, tension starting to settle around as they continued to edge away the space in between them. He honestly could not hear anything besides the sound of his heart bashing in his eardrums, no music or placid voice telling him what to do. And all he could see in front of him was an amazing one of a kind girl in front of him, face absolutely blushing red from how close the two were. The sharp honey eyes were searching in the amber ones, both faces merely inches away from each other.

How long had they been standing still? He could not process anything except Lucy at the moment. Her wonderful face, that slightly messy chestnut brown hair, those rose petal coloured lips…He soaked in every feature of her face until it was imprinted into his mind. Alfendi released her hand without realizing, cupping her cheek and caressing it. There was not a chance in hell he would chicken out like last time.

He leaned in slowly, feeling the waver in Lucy's breath. Taking the sign that she did not push him away as a good one to keep going, he went for it. His heart soared a mile into the sky as he felt his lips connecting with her soft ones. It was nothing like he ever would have imagined, just simply in the moment as he felt Lucy press back gently. Why did he not do this sooner? His hand stayed on her cheek as the kiss became deeper, causing his insides to twist in ways that did not seem possible. He practically melted into the kiss, holding her small figure right against his as they continued.

_Bzzt bzzt_

He ignored his mobile, continuing to be lost in the kiss with Lucy. Nothing was going to interrupt this magnificent moment.

_Bzzt bzzt_

The kiss started to become lighter as Lucy heard Alfendi's mobile ring for a second time.

_Bzzt bzzt_

"Who the hell is it?!" he swore, breaking the kiss to check his mobile for the person ruining possibly one of the most amazing moments he had ever experienced. It was from Hilda, and 'potty Prof' was grumbling with hatred as he checked what she wanted. Lucy was still right next to him, glancing at his mobile as he went to the missed texts. _Come quickly to the London Art Museum. Murderer attacked not too long ago._

"We need t' get goin' then." Her face was still flushed, one hand touching her lips where she had just been kissed.

The 'placid Prof' nodded in agreement, grabbing Lucy back into his arms before she could dart away, "We'll discuss this after the case, if that is ok with you." She smiled, her hand squeezing his own. He placed a short, delicate kiss on her lips before the two headed out to the next scene together.


End file.
